December 4, 2009 Pawtucket RI- We are pleased to announce that Tara Flanagan has recently been elected to the Providence PCC Executive Committee as the new Membership Chair.

Tara, a Senior Account Executive at Mercury and Communications Director for the American Marketing Association, brings more than 12 years of direct marketing experience to the PCC. Tara says “this will be a great opportunity for Mercury and me. It will be an unbelievable learning experience and will give me the chance to directly affect the industry I work in.” For Mercury it means we will continue to have a voice in the mailing industry in Providence as it continues to evolve over the next few years.”

“At Mercury we have noticed a huge change in the print and mail industry. As a company it is all about data, strategy and technology. It is where this industry is going. And it is where Mercury is going.” stated Steve Cronin, President/ CEO of Mercury. Cronin went on to say “Tara has always been one of Mercury’s forward thinkers. I know her great ideas, experience and drive will bring great things to the PCC and I am excited about the year to come.”

The Postal Customer Council (PCC) program began more than 40 years ago with the hopes of improving communication between postal customers and local postal managers. Over the next year Tara hopes to use her consultative approach and vast knowledge in the mailing industry to stimulate growth and awareness for the Providence PCC. Her focus within the PCC will be in areas such as member acquisition and retention, development of creative campaigns and increased participation.

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Recently Mercury’s strategy and analytics team had the opportunity to work with the Manchester Monarchs on an integrated direct mail campaign that was designed to drive attendance to the opening night game and the 2009 season. The Mercury team used traditional direct mail methods and new on line technologies to drive a 5.75% response to the campaign.

To read the full case study click below.

Monarchs Case Study

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http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1901188_1901207,00.html

Although Twitter was originally intended for communication among individuals, a number of companies have begun to actively participate on the platform. Some are “tweeting” and some are just listening but many are trying to find their niche. Some companies are using Twitter as a marketing channel. They will post about company accomplishments. Others are using it as an opportunity to accept feedback from their customers. Feedback and customer service go hand in hand. I’m reminded of a page-layout software company that had the most popular product in the industry not too long ago. Their only problem was horrendous product support. If they had taken the time to listen to and inform their user base, they would not be lagging way behind the current leader in market share just a few short years after being on top. Twitter and other social networks tend to strengthen relationships. In this competitive business climate, relationships are very important. An impromptu survey was done here at Mercury by sending out a tweet asking the question: “Who offers the best customer support:” and two vendors were named. One responded quickly, “We do!”, the other…we’re still waiting for a reply. With whom do you want to do business? In this era of instant information and business partnering, you don’t want to be late. You want to be first and reliable.

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DMM Advisory
Pricing — keeping you informed about the prices and mailing standards of the United States Postal Service

To Postal Service Customers:

Many of you have expressed concerns regarding mailing costs for 2010.  The tough economic climate has presented significant challenges to all of us and pessimistic speculation has suggested that postal prices could increase by as much as 10 percent.

As we begin a new fiscal year and as many of you, our business clients, are preparing your 2010 operating budgets, we want to end all speculation.

The Postal Service will not increase prices for market dominant products in calendar year 2010.

Simply stated, there will not be a price increase for market dominant products including First-Class Mail, Standard Mail, periodicals, single-piece Parcel Post.  There will be no exigent price increase for these products.

This is the right decision at the right time for the right reason.  Promoting the value of mail and encouraging its continued use is essential for jobs, the economy, and the future of both the Postal Service and the mailing industry.

While increasing prices might have generated revenue for the Postal Service in the short term, the long term effect could drive additional mail out of the system.  We want mailers to continue to invest in mail to grow their business, communicate with valued customers, and maintain a strong presence in the marketplace.  Changes in pricing for our competitive products—Priority Mail, Express Mail, Parcel Select, and most international products—are under consideration.  We expect to announce a decision in November.

We are committed to working with customers to find ways to grow the mail through innovative incentives like the Summer Sale and contract pricing.  Mail is the most effective means of communication and advertising and we will continue to work together to increase the value of the mail.  Mail is a smart investment for the future.

The Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) is available on Postal Explorer (pe.usps.com <http://pe.usps.com/> ). To subscribe to the DMM Advisory, send an e-mail to dmmadvisory@usps.com. Simply indicate “subscribe” in the subject line.

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