MAILERS should consider postponing, not canceling, mailings as the world attempts to come to terms with the terrorist attacks.
“In the days and weeks following these events it is not the time to succumb to emotional responses of reduction or withdrawal from the marketplace,” said consultant Don Libey during a conference call with business-to-business mailers on Sept. 12, conducted by Merit Direct. “It is time to strengthen our resolve by remaining calmly and rationally engaged in our markets.”
Libey added, “The resumption of something like normal will take time, but it will come.”
In general, Libey suggested a short wait-and-see period to allow the business world to return to normal, noting ZIP-code suppressions in the areas most severely affected by the attacks would be prudent. Mark Amtower of Amtower & Co., who participated in the call, said ZIPs to the Pentagon (20301, 20310, 20318, 20330 and 20350) should be suppressed for at least three weeks following the attacks and that ZIPs to the area around the World Trade Center (10048 and 10047) should be suppressed for an undetermined period.
Delays of 10 to 14 days were expected at the local level for mail delivery, so mail plans should be adjusted accordingly, Libey said. He added that mail should be monitored in person at the printers and/or point of dispatch for at least a month, and that the terms of mail delivery should be put in writing.
“This is a time when I would be living in the back door of the printer and watching the mail on an hour-by-hour basis to make sure that my mail does not get lost in the shuffle,” he said. “With higher costs and lower responses, the demand for vigilance has never been higher on your part.”
From an economic perspective, he said, B-to-B mailers can expect a decline in sales of 30% to 60% in September until the focus is resumed on commerce.
Libey suggested contacting every client that had placed an order to deal with current fulfillment delays. Send a unified message to customers, telling them when orders can be expected. “That can only pay off in the future,” he said.
Above all, don't cancel mailings, bindery runs, printing or any other aspects of the 2001 mailing plan. “Allow a breath to nourish the brain so that rational, intelligent decisions can be made,” he said. “A reduced response is better than no response.”
