USPS.COM WINS WEB AWARD

USPS.COM WINS WEB AWARD. An independent organization has cited the Postal Service as having the most consumer-friendly website, naming usps.com “The 2005 Best of the Web — Government” winner. WiredKids.com and the WiredSafety Group also gave the Postal Inspection Service its “Wired Cops Award” for aiding in the successful recovery of a kidnapped child. “We are honored to be among those recognized for this important work to improve Internet safety and ease of use,” said Acting Consumer Advocate Mike Spates.

USPS: MIAMI PASSPORT FAIR DRAWS HUNDREDS.

MIAMI PASSPORT FAIR DRAWS HUNDREDS. Miami’s first Passport Fair was a big success. More than 300 passport customers applied for or renewed passports at Snapper Creek Post Office. “The Passport Fair was put together to meet customer demand,” said Miami Postmaster Jesus Galvez. “With new travel restrictions going into effect soon, customers were in need of passports and the fair provided a convenient way for them to apply for one in their own neighborhood.”

USPS Sets the Record Straight

HOT WIRED. Public Affairs and Communications VP Azeezaly Jaffer “Set the Record Straight” for Wired News. In an article “Your Identity, Open to All,” the magazine erroneously reported that when someone fills out a change-of-address card, USPS records the date of move and new address, and sells it to information brokers. Simply not true. Jaffer explained what USPS does and doesn’t do with change-of-address information and Wired News will run Jaffer’s response in an upcoming issue.

USPS: “Use the mail, it works”

“Use the mail, it works”
PMG addresses advertisers

Postmaster General Jack Potter told more than 400 advertising professionals in Troy, MI, that mail is the fastest growing traditional marketing medium and should be included in every marketing plan — because it works.

“Mail can be personalized, tailored to the needs and interests of small groups, even individuals, in contrast to ‘one-size-fits-all’ advertising,” Potter said at a meeting of the Adcraft Club of Detroit and the Direct Marketing Association of Detroit.

Potter said mail succeeds because of its segmentation capability, citing a USPS-commissioned study that found that consumers who receive catalogs in the mail view 22% more pages on retailers’ websites, and spend 16% more money there than those who don’t.

Mail is a bargain, Potter also emphasized. “A typical piece of presorted advertising mail costs 18.2 cents — and it goes directly into the household,” Potter said. “And that happens every day in millions of households nationwide.”