Pitney Bowes is striving to show its customers the “Value of Mail” through a mailing campaign begun this spring that highlights its products and offers free postage.
Pitney Bowes, Stamford, CT, said it cannot disclose the campaign's response rates or cost. But the company said it will continue the program on a quarter-by-quarter basis over the next two years. The second phase starts later this month.
The effort aims “to highlight the value of mail to customers and how mail can be used as an effective tool to help customers become more successful,” said Dan Hindman, director, U.S. customer marketing, Pitney Bowes. “The campaign is designed to fundamentally show the value that mail brings to an organization.”
The campaign carries a gardening theme and includes direct mail that highlights solutions enabling organizations to use the mail channel to attract customers, retain customers and grow their business.
The mailing included a 6.75-by-5.75-inch plastic “greenhouse” with six mini flower pots, herb seeds and stickers, plus a flier with the tagline “Get More From Your Mail with the 'Blue Thumb' of Pitney Bowes.” The flier also promoted “Ready To Grow Pitney Bowes Solutions.” Blue is the corporate color for Pitney Bowes.
Besides directions for growing the garden, the flier explained that recipients can get free postage, free lists and more by contacting Pitney Bowes via a toll-free number or Web site.
More than 50,000 mid-volume Pitney Bowes customers that use one mailing solution from the company received the mailing in early April.
“We chose the customers who we see not fully leveraging the mail channel to grow their business,” Hindman said.
The mail piece explained some Pitney Bowes services and gave details about the “Blue Thumb Bonus.” Mailers leasing a Value of Mail solution by June 30 receive, for free, up to $1,000 in postage, a 15,000-name mailing list from USAdata and a direct mail toolkit that has information about direct mail and how to use the U.S. Postal Service. Pitney Bowes is offering free envelopes as well.
The mailing also capitalized on mail's importance given the national no-call registry. A brochure noted that the registry begun last year had attracted more than 57 million customers, meaning that “direct mail, rather than the phone, is now the way to harvest new business.” It said that Pitney Bowes has “acquired a certain expertise, a Blue Thumb if you will, that can help you reap full profit from your effort.”
The mailing also includes a letter from Timothy Bates, Pitney Bowes vice president of customer marketing, plus a business reply card and envelope.
Pitney Bowes' marketing department created the campaign. FSA Communications, Darien, CT, provided fulfillment.
The phase starting this month also relates to the “Value of Mail” but is called “The Value of Mail Information.” It focuses on mail information and information management, as well as Pitney Bowes solutions that can help customers track campaign information. Mail pieces will go to 50,000 customers and prospects, some of whom received the first mailing.
