Archive for the ‘Featured’ Category

Mail 2.0: Not Your Parents’ Postal Service

Friday, October 21st, 2011

In 1775, when Benjamin Franklin was appointed our first Postmaster General, “snail mail” was the primary means of communication across distance – your only connection to far-flung friends, relations, businesses or services.

Things change. First came the telegraph (~1836), then the telephone (~1876), radio (~1896), and television (~1927). Through competing means of communication, individuals gained the ability to choose how to send and receive information. No longer was mail the only communication medium. One person might choose to send a letter, while another might choose to call.  You can see ads on television or hear them on the radio.

Then came the Internet, which not only offers information and ecommerce, it has recreated the forms of communication. Email is basically a re-imagined telegraph. The telephone, radio and TV are re-imagined in the forms of Skype, Pandora, and Hulu. So what does this mean? Endless choices. And with choice comes power, putting consumers in the driver’s seat. Companies that cede control to the consumer gain trust and respect.  In his seminal book What Would Google Do, Jeff Jarvis states “businesses need to trust their customers and give them control, otherwise people will walk away.”

In response — admittedly slow — the U.S. Postal Service is embarking on one of the largest, most complicated organizational changes of all time.  Facing dire economic challenges and rapid changes in communication trends that have reduced mail volume, the USPS recently announced a workforce reduction of 120,000, and 3,700 post office closures.

The U.S. Postal Service is getting acquainted with “disruptive innovation.” With mobile and digital communications channels competing for consumers, USPS must innovate at the same time that it right-sizes. The Postal Service will move beyond its traditional role of delivering paper to facilitate communications and commerce  or it will become irrelevant. It has the opportunity to innovate in a historically significant way, transforming communication in America — let’s call it “Mail 2.0″.

Being relevant in the future, particularly to our nation’s wired youth, who have never used a corded phone, record player, or map, will require innovation. USPS will have to launch itself boldly into digital communication, landing squarely between consumers and the postal service’s existing big customers, advertisers and transaction mailers (those who send bills and statements). USPS has the resources and brand value to succeed as an intermediary. “But this is the postal service!” you may exclaim, as you experience cognitive dissonance at the pairing of the terms “U.S. Postal Service” and “innovation.”

You might be surprised to learn that a recent study from the USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) lays out a new strategy – the eMailbox  – that recognizes the new expectation of control by the consumer. The eMailbox would serve as your official U.S. Mail branded e-mail box at a secure website, and would allow mail recipients to “choose to receive mail from individual senders by either physical or electronic delivery.” The combination of a physical mailbox and the eMailbox for every address in the United States would provide a compelling communication platform for the USPS.

But will the USPS eMailbox give the consumer control when the vast majority of USPS revenue comes from the businesses? Simply going digital will not be enough.  First, the USPS needs to spur innovation by making it easy for entrepreneurs to extend the USPS platform.  Second, the USPS must seek out and partner with private companies that are developing products aimed at making mail more convenient, relevant and digital, adding value for both businesses and consumers.  Companies are already offering services like reverse hybrid mail (paper to digital), digital postal mail, household and financial account management, secure digital delivery and mail preference management. Third, the USPS should consider models in which the receiver pays for some services. Consumers are accustomed to paying for consumer-centric media experiences like premium TV (HBO, TiVo) and premium radio (SiriusXM, Pandora). Venturing into digital communication, cooperating with private ventures, listening to its customers, and offering innovative premium services, is what the USPS owes to its customer.  Stuffing their mailboxes with more advertising is not the solution

What's Covered in the Unlisting Service

Saturday, September 18th, 2010

The Unlisting Service addresses a different group of companies and uses a different approach than our free title-specific service. The Unlisting Service is like a “valet” service. You sign up and we do all the work. We work to suppress your name and personal information from companies who don’t mail to you directly. We contact the third-party marketing companies who compile lists and sell them to the direct mailers. The free title-specific service is for companies that contact you directly and you need to set your contact preference with each company.

The best way to understand the difference between our two services is to see which parts of the personal data ecosystem they address.  Yes, the flow of data is so complex that the experts have coined this term.   The image below, developed by the FTC as part of their Privacy Roundtable, shows the complexity of the personal data ecosystem in the United States.  We have annotated the image to show the areas where the Unlisting Service applies and where the free title-specific opt-out service applies.

The Data Users, circled in blue, are either companies that you have done business with or companies that want your business. They include product & service delivery, banks, marketers and the media. These are the companies that our free, title-specific opt-out service addresses.

The Data Brokers, circled in red, are companies that aggregate personal information from a wide array of sources (described below under Data Sources) and sell marketing lists to companies for marketing purposes. They include catalog co-ops, list brokers, affiliates, information brokers and websites. These companies use sophisticated algorithms that leverage your purchase patterns, geography, home value, demographics and other factors to ensure that their targeted marketing lists include people with similar tastes and preferences.

If you value targeted offers from new companies, you should not subscribe to the Unlisting Service.  If you want to reduce the volume of marketing material that you receive from companies that you have not done business with in the past, the Unlisting Service is perfect for you.  We will contact the top Data Brokers and have your name suppressed from their marketing lists in accordance with their privacy policy.

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In addition to Data Brokers, the Unlisting Service will also address personal search services that publicly provide a dossier about you for anyone to view.

The Source of the Data

The image below is a blow-up of the center part of the ecosystem – the Data Collectors.  The personal data ecosystem starts with the hundreds of companies that we buy products and services from (retail, medical, financial, insurance, telecommunications, social networking services), the public bodies that oversee real property and professional licenses and the media.  When we provide our personal information to these companies and organizations, we receive services in return.  They need our personal information to fulfill the business services that we require.  It is at this level of the data ecosystem that we need to understand the privacy policy and data sharing policies.

Thanks to the Health Information Privacy Act (HIPA), our health care providers are very careful about providing us clear notice about the privacy of our personal health data.  Thanks to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), there are strict rules that financial services and credit reporting companies follow about the disclosure and use of our personal financial data.  But the laws stop there.  The use of our personal information by most of the other companies we rely on are governed by a set of international principles – the Fair Information Practice principles (FIPS).  These principles call for companies to provide clear notice about the information they are collecting and how they use it, as well as your choice to control their use of the data.

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We hope that this detailed explanation of the data ecosystem and the differences between our new Unlisting Service and the free title-specific opt-out service are clear. If you have questions, please add your comments below. While the Unlisting Service is a premium program reserved for donors, we have included all of the companies in the Unlisting Service in our free title-specific directory. If you would like to go through the process of opting out without donating, you can find all the companies in the Find Companies portion of the website.

Stop Unwanted Mail to Your Company Too!

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

Many great solutions  start by addressing a household problem (Quicken) and then expand to help your company (Quickbooks).  Catalog Choice is following the same path.  Today we are pleased to announce that we have added Company Name to the address profile for our Member accounts.  At the same time, we have added Company Name to the secure data file that we transfer to the mailer.

If you are a small business owner, you can add your office address to your existing Catalog Choice account.  To do this, go to your profile and add a new address.  Set the ‘nickname’ for this address to your company name and make sure you add your company name to the address profile.

Catalog Choice - Control the catalogs you receive in the mail

If you work at a larger company and want to stop the flow of unwanted advertising mail at your office, create a new account dedicated to your office location.  You can add names of long lost employees that continue to get mail to your account.  We have kept the sign up form simply so Company Name does not appear on the sign up form.  After signing up, go to your profile, scroll down to the Address area and edit the address so you can add the Company Name.

We know that the companies that send catalogs and advertising mail to your office are different than those that mail to your home.   As a result, we are working on a new system that will streamline the process of suggesting and adding new mailers to our service.  In the meantime, use our Suggest a Catalog page to let us know of mailers that you want us to add to our system.

City of Seattle Passes Do Not Mail Resolution

Monday, January 25th, 2010

Today the City of Seattle passed a non-binding resolution asking the State of Washington to set up a do not mail registry and directing the Seattle Public Utilities agency to evaluate the existing mail preference services as an option to provide an effective service to Seattle residents.  This second part of the resolution is in direct response to feedback from the industry.  As the largest independent voluntary mail preference solution, we welcome the opportunity to inform the City about what it takes to run an effective voluntary service.

You can view the Council’s discussion on the topic by viewing this video of the City Council meeting.  Click Resolution 31169 from the right hand side index or fast forward to 46:50 of the video.

Happy Holidays from Catalog Choice

Monday, December 21st, 2009

Happy Holidays from Catalog Choice!

Marketers Prefer Paper, Consumers Prefer Choice

Friday, October 16th, 2009

Jeffrey Ball, a Wall Street Journal reporter covering environmental and energy issues, published an excellent article on the issues facing catalog marketing. Jeff thoroughly researched the topic and put together one of the more balanced pieces I have read. Take a moment and give the article a read.  Make sure you check out the comment string.

Jeff clearly articulates some key facts that are shaping the debate around paper-based direct marketing:

More than 17 billion catalogs were mailed in the U.S. last year — about 56 for every American.

In the U.S., catalogs account for 3% of the roughly 80 million tons of paper products used annually.

Much of what used to be done through the mail, including bill payments and personal correspondence, is now handled electronically.

The average U.S. catalog retailer reported mailing about 21 million catalogs in 2007, sending out a new edition every 26 days.

Only 1.3% of those catalogs generated a sale

The paper typically used in catalogs contains about 10% recycled content, according to industry consultant RISI. That is far less than paper in general, which typically contains about 30% recycled content.

Consumers who received catalogs from a retailer spent 28% more on that retailer’s Web site than those who didn’t get a catalog.

Jeff’s article includes some clear insight on the topic.  As the title of his article “Marketers Still Prefer a Paper Trail” implies:

But catalogs pay. Like so many environmental initiatives, from solar energy to hybrid cars, reducing the impact of catalogs runs into economic realities that favor the old way of doing things.

But there is hope and that is where Catalog Choice comes in.  First, consumers who want to slow the flow of unwanted catalogs can use our service to opt-out.  Now that we are two years into our effort, our systems are honed and we are efficiently delivering and verifying that the mailer will honor consumer requests to over 1,000 mailers.

Jeff notes:

The catalog industry says it is working hard to reduce the environmental impact of its mailings, by pushing retailers to increase their reliance on recycled paper and by making it easier for consumers to opt out of mailings they don’t want to receive.

But we have to do more than just close down a channel.  In order to facilitate significant change in the direct mail industry, viable digital alternatives need to emerge.  Jeff clearly describes the vision behind our iCatalog program following a lenghty call with me.

Jeff writes:

Chuck Teller, executive director of Catalog Choice, is working on an idea that could wean catalog retailers away from paper-based marketing without hurting their businesses. His “iCatalog” aims to adapt the accessibility of a paper catalog to the digital realm. Using an online widget that consumers can install on a personal Web page or social-networking site, Catalog Choice continually updates and customizes retailers’ product selections.

This is where you come in. We need you to use the iCatalogs and give us your feedback.  What works; what needs improving?  Collect your favorite brands and build your list of favorites for the coming holiday.  When you are ready to buy, click through to the brands web site from the Buy Now link in the iCatalog.  Each retailer provides a small percentage of the sales price back to Catalog Choice, which helps us fund our free mail preference service.

Then and Now…Catalog Choice Celebrates its Second Anniversary!

Friday, October 9th, 2009
Today, Catalog Choice celebrates its second anniversary.  We thought it would be fun and informative to reflect back on our beginnings in 2007 and compare things to how they look now.
Then: Before Catalog Choice, there was no free, title-specific service that let you reduce unwanted mail.
Now: With Catalog Choice on the scene,  the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) dropped its fee and dramatically improved its service DMAChoice.  More convenient choices for the consumer.
Then: We didn’t have a lot of friends in the direct marketing world.
Now: We’ve gained the trust of not only the consumer, but also the industry.  We have strong supporters, including some of the biggest mailers around (L.L. Bean, Crate & Barrel, Williams-Sonoma).  We are endorsed by the American Catalog Mailers Association.
Then: We had two ways to deliver mail preference requests (email and file).
Now: Today, we have five secure methods to ensure that each and every request we receive from you is delivered.
Then: It was all opt-out.
Now: Our service provides a way for consumers to request a catalog or decrease frequency of a mailing, if offered by the company.  Consumers can also sign up for a company’s email newsletter through a subscription service we offer to mailers.
Then: It was just catalogs.
Now: We’re adding other forms of mail, including coupons, credit card offers, and phone books.  Look for upcoming changes to the service to help you opt-out of these forms of mail easily.
Then: When we launched we had 600 catalogs in our service.
Now: Today, we have nearly 1,056 titles in our system.
Then: By the end of 2007, we had about 350,000 individuals using Catalog Choice, requesting to stop the mailing of 4 million unwanted catalogs.
Now: Today, we’re a community of nearly 1.2 million members strong!  On your behalf we have delivered more than 16 million opt-out requests.  Thank you for your continued support and participation!  We could not have done it without you.

It's a Fine Day for Consumer Choice

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

Today is an important day for consumer choice.  October marks the beginning of the Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) enforcement of a new labeling provision.  This guideline states that a DMA marketer must provide existing and prospective customers and donors with notice of how to eliminate or modify direct mail solicitations from their organization.  That means that catalogs, credit card offers, and nonprofit fund raising appeals all need to state how you as the consumer can opt-out or reduce frequency of the mailing.  The notice needs to appear in every marketing offer and it must be “easy to read, find, understand, and act upon.”  This provision is part of DMA’s Commitment to Consumer Choice (CCC) that was announced two years ago, about the same time that Catalog Choice appeared on the scene.  The CCC program and notice policy apply to DMA members, but all mailers are encouraged to comply.

We all know how convenient and effective labeling rules can be.  Whether it’s a printed warning on a cigarette packet about smoking’s health hazards, the listing of trans fat on a food label, or a recycling logo on packaging, labels inform our choices and empower our actions.  We are hoping that you’ll see more Catalog Choice logos printed on catalogs and that marketers will make mail preference choices more visible and convenient on their websites.

And here’s where you can help.  Look at the catalogs you receive this month and through the holidays.  Can you easily find the notice for how to modify or eliminate the mailing?  Is it easy to read and understand?  Let us know which companies are doing a good job and which ones need improvement.  We’ll pass on the results of your findings to mailers and the DMA.   Thanks for your help!

One of the 25 Ways to Green America

Monday, August 24th, 2009

Thanks to Green America (formerly Co-op America) for publishing information about Catalog Choice in their Spring 2009 Quarterly Magazine.  They feature our service as part of their featured list of 25 ways to green the world.  Co-op Amercia was founded 25 years ago on the belief that all of us in our economic roles – as consumers, investors, workers, and business owners – can work together through economic channels to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society.

Green America’s vision for the next 25 years is for us to join together to rapidly deploy their 25 strategies across the economy, so that the marketplace and our society completes the shift to green by the middle of the century.

You can read the entire article here, starting on page 8.  You will find Catalog Choice in item 17 – Be WoodWise.

Can White Pages Go Green?

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

Did you know that many states require telephone companies to deliver the White pages to your home?  The folks at Whitepages.com released the results of a survey indicating that over 80% of people are willing to do without a local phonebook when told how many trees are used to produce it.  While there is a little debate about the number of trees used to produce phone books (see the comments on their blog), the fact is that consumers deserve a choice about whether they get a phone book or not.

So what is necessary to give consumers the ability to opt-in to getting the white pages?  Like many things, some laws have to be changed.  There is something that you can do about it.  Head over to Banthephonebook.org and sign their petition.

Thanks to NPR for running a short segment on this.

I can’t remember the last time I used the white pages to look up a phone number.  Can you?