USPS chief Megan Brennan promotes convergence of postal and digital communications

by | May 22, 2015 | Digital Integration, Direct Mail, USPS

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This past Monday, May 18, at the National Postal Forum, USPS CEO Megan Brennan highlighted the advantages of postal mail in an increasingly digital world and emphasized the USPS’ dedication to what she called “a revolution in mail.”

Noting that “consumers are opting out of commercial messages on television and radio, are blocking marketing e-mails, mobile ads, and even some social media marketing,” Ms. Brennan pointed to the “huge” advantage of mail in terms of being “a direct, reliable pipeline to the consumer.”

“Technologies like augmented reality, near field communication and QR codes are already making print more engaging and interactive” she said. “A piece of mail can launch a website or video, or ignite an interactive experience. These can be powerful ways of encouraging product discovery and drawing consumers into the ecosystem of your particular brand.”

Ms. Brennan pointed to the strong success of a USPS digital initiative called “Real Mail Notification” tested in Virginia, which allows mail recipients to inspect scanned images of mail they’re about to receive on their mobile devices. “We generated a high level of engagement. 9 out of 10 people were checking their mobile devices to see what’s in their mail every day. We saw a ten-fold jump in response. This digital platform we’ve created has the potential to be a game-changed for the sender of mail.”She noted that the next test location for “Real Mail Notification” will be New York City.

Ms. Brennan also announced the national roll-out of a new multichannel ad campaign aimed at positioning the USPS as a digital leader. The campaign, called “Watch Us Deliver,” will include mail, digital, print and television elements.

“We need to make sure that every marketer in America understands that the role of mail is changing, and that mail is part of these digital trends” she concluded.

Complete Transcript of Megan Brennan’s remarks at the National Postal Forum:
http://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2015/NPF-PMG-NPF-Keynote-5-18-15.pdf