DM industry slams Royal Mail "delivered by" mark plans
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The direct mail industry has slammed the Royal Mail’s decision to include a new “delivered by…” mark on mail as a “high handed” approach that will reduce response rates from DM packs.
The postal operator says all machine-sorted mail will feature the mark “Delivered by Royal Mail” from September.
Royal Mail, which has had a fractious relationship with postal unions for years, says the mark is recognition of the “dedication” and “fantastic job” done by postal workers. It will be introduced in September.
One senior direct marketer, however, told Marketing Week that the mark limits creative options because it will sit top centre on packs, “effectively asking direct marketers to give Royal Mail equal weighting to our own messaging”.
He continues: “It is a high handed approach that adds little or no value to the mailing process and will adversely affect any creative options, and potentially response rates from Direct Mail packs”.
Royal Mail says it is expected that around 60% of all letters it delivers will have the mark printed on the envelope. Items that are sorted by hand will not carry it.
Alex Walsh, head of postal and environmental affairs at the DMA, says that the association is “disappointed” that Royal Mail did not consult it about the potential “problems” the mark could cause direct mailers.
He adds: “This is different to previous changes that have been introduced for operational reasons. If this is not challenged, then it could set a dangerous precedent where Royal Mail can overprint envelopes with whatever they choose.”
The DMA says it will consult the postal regulator, other trade associations and postal user groups about taking further action.
A spokesman for Royal Mail says: “The space we have designated for the mark is the least likely to be used for return addresses or any other form of artwork. We will be notifying customers to make them aware of the mark we will be printing so that they can avoid printing messages in the same area if necessary.”
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Readers' comments (17)
Anonymous | Thu, 21 Jul 2011 11:40 am
There are 2 issues here that have incensed me:
1) Where we have paid a downstream access provider to send mail, Royal Mail are effectively hijacking our mail pack to promote their services, when we have not paid RM directly to deliver the mail pack. This impacts on our Brand mesasage and RM are using our media (the outer of the envelope) to promote their business.
2) The guidance issued by RM on this matter mis-represents the positioning of the new "Mail Mark" logo. The diagram on their guidance notes shows the new mark appearing somewhere in the middle of what appears to be a DL envelope. In actual fact, the new mark will be positioned only 55mm or so from the left hand edge of a standard C5 or DL envelope, encroaching on space used by many brands for their corporate logo's or Brand messages.
In effect what this amounts to is Royal Mail hijacking our communications to promote their own services and brand when in some cases, we have not even paid them to handle the delivery. In my view this authoritarian approach to further their own business interests and protect their ever decreasing share of the postal market has finally eroded the last shred of good will I had for their monopoly.
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Anonymous | Thu, 21 Jul 2011 1:05 pm
Agree the RM brand gets enough exposure why ride on the back of its customers too - surely then they should discount carriage rates if we have to do advertising for them too?
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Dave Holloway | Thu, 21 Jul 2011 1:18 pm
This is yet another example of Royal Mail flexing their muscles and trying to prove a point - do they honestly think that a 'Delivered By Royal Mail' mark on all our packs will be seen a recognition to the postal workers - total load of rubbish.
I do, however, totally agree that this is just Royal Mail imposing themselves where they are not wanted - reducing the effectiveness of DM - surely that is not good for their business either!
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Anonymous | Thu, 21 Jul 2011 1:34 pm
This will be good news for the unaddressed mail industry - no such restrictions on unaddressed mail, and not the 100% reliance on RM for final mile that exists with addressed mail.
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Anonymous | Thu, 21 Jul 2011 1:38 pm
Royal Mail's spokesman says that "the space we have designated for the mark is the least likely to be used for return addresses or any other form of artwork."
They also say "We will be notifying customers to make them aware of the mark we will be printing so that they can avoid printing messages in the same area if necessary.”
This is an extremely weak justification for the action Royal Mail are taking here, which I completely agree is tantamount to hijacking its customers outers.
In response:
1. What research have they done which tells them this area is the least likely to be used for artwork?
2. Yes they've given us notice, but nowhere near enough for us to use up our existing stocks before the mark is implemented, which will create cost and waste on a large scale.
All of this will only deter us further from using Royal Mail's services.
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Chris Barraclough | Thu, 21 Jul 2011 1:48 pm
Another example of the Royal Mail not really understanding what business they are in?
Can you imagine Associated adding "Printed by the Daily Mail" to an ad they were running?
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Anonymous | Thu, 21 Jul 2011 2:01 pm
I feel it is about time The Staff at Royal Mail were recognised for the good work they do.
Competitors are allowed to run rough shod over over Royal Mails Customers and cherry pick,
How many people actually know that during the last bad snow some of Royal Mails competitors dumped their packets and letters into the Royal Mail system for Royal Mail to deliver - why? because they COULDN'T do it themselves. Not many I'll bet
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Anonymous | Thu, 21 Jul 2011 2:16 pm
I think every DM company 'outers' should have a return address and tick box 'unsolicited mail; remove from database' - so RM or whoever can return all the unwanted material back to you to dispose of.
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Stephen Reed | Thu, 21 Jul 2011 2:39 pm
It is interesting to note that most of the comments posted anonymously are the least acurate and less accomdating.
How naieve are we to think that employing a DSA means that we do not rely on Royal Mail to deliver our post. Without their loyal workers delivering every day through all weathers the DSA's would be just giant letter boxes that would never be emptied so why can we not recognise this effort? I am sure we can all complete the use of existing stock and be proud that as a world leader in postal services Royal Mail is pleased to be able to boast that it has delivered our mail. This worthy organisation has suffered enough in the hands of succesive governments and in the name of "competition" it is time we recognised the true value of the company.
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Anonymous | Thu, 21 Jul 2011 4:14 pm
If you read carefully, the first comment does not dispute the fact that RM delivers the final, more the fact that they are using the media space (i.e. the outer envelope) that many companies use to deliver their marketing messages for their own purposes as if they own it. They do not. If a company is paying any organisation to deliver a letter (RM or a DSA provider) they expect them to do that and not to use the outer which is an important part of the marketing message for many companies to advertise their own self worth.
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