The National Association of Major Mail Users, Canada's organization for business communication and distribution professionals, has begun Destination Canada, a promotional effort to increase the use of mail in that country.
Destination Canada is designed to demystify the Canadian marketplace and promote the industry to businesspeople who do little or no business through postal channels in Canada. It was formally launched at the International Digital Enterprise Alliance 2003 Addressing/Distribution Spring Conference last month in Florida.
“We are looking to raise the awareness and profile of our association in the U.S., increase our international membership, encourage Canadian mail use and volume growth and get additional work for the supplier infrastructure in Canada,” NAMMU president Kathleen Rowe said.
The program will use trade shows and conferences to explain the Canadian marketplace, she said, and “how well you can do in the marketplace in Canada.”
NAMMU also will exhibit at the Direct Marketing Association's annual conference and exhibition in Orlando, FL, in October. Rowe is looking at other venues to market its message to U.S. and European companies.
Rowe said that in general, “we are encouraging the use of mail as a viable way of doing business with Canadians. In this day and age, we find [mail] the least intrusive method of marketing and one that Canadians welcome. We are undermarketed in Canada, particularly in Quebec.”
Rowe said another aim of Destination Canada is to strengthen alliances with major U.S. and Universal Postal Union postal associations.
After making the presentation at the IDEAlliance show last month, Rowe expressed “great satisfaction” with the launch, saying there are several requests from private companies for corporate presentations.
This is the first time the association has begun this type of program.
“The reason we are launching this in '03 is because 9/11 hurt us, and mail volume is still not going up,” she said.
For more information about Destination Canada, contact rowe@thekmrgroupcom.
