DMA, Forest Ethics Trade Jibes Over SF Do-Not-Mail Resolution
The Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Moves America coalition said it was disappointed by a San Francisco resolution calling for the creation of a do-not-mail program. The resolution, which is non-binding, was passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors by a 9-2 vote.
“In the midst of this economic crisis, we are disappointed that the committee would endorse an action that would hurt small businesses and destroy jobs,” said Ben Cooper, Executive Director of Mail Moves America, in a statement. “Even though this is a non-binding resolution, we believe it is important that city, state and local governments not support legislation that would hurt the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of workers.”
“Until now, junk mailers have stifled all efforts to give Americans what they want: an enforceable, comprehensive solution to junk mail’s waste and annoyance” said ForestEthics Executive Director Todd Paglia, executive director of ForestEthics, a nonprofit environmental organization.
Paglia continued, “San Francisco is the first city in the United States to take political action against junk mail, marking the beginning of a long-awaited government intervention to protect citizens from relentless and predatory junk mailers.”
According to ForestEthics, bills calling for do-not-mail registries have failed in more than 20 states, despite widespread frustration with junk mail. The organization also claims that a 2007 Zogby poll revealed that 89% of Americans support the creation of a national registry.
Mail Moves America said the resolution was widely opposed by labor unions and workers. According to Mail Moves America, Rome Aloise, principal officer of the Teamsters Local 853, wrote a letter to the Board of Supervisors which said, in part, “Right now, Californians want their government to focus on putting people back to work, not out of work.”
Mail Moves America also said The San Francisco Labor Council had passed a resolution indicating the creation of a Do Not Mail registry would be “an extremely negative development”.
According to the DMA, advertising mail plays “a critical role in the California economy.”
“More than 400,000 Californians have jobs that are directly or indirectly made possible by advertising mail,” the organization claimed in a statement. “In 2008, more than 22,000 small businesses in California relied on advertising mail to support their businesses, and advertising mail brought almost $97 billion in increased sales to California’s economy.”
The DMA feels do-not-mail regulation is redundant, given nationwide access to its Mail Preference Service.
The Lobbyist’s Take: Consumers are not just price-sensitive, in today’s economy they’re price-driven. If this resolution ever threatens to be put to public vote, individual mailers should use mass media to showcase examples of bargains available only to through-the-mail shoppers…and then point out that any consumer electing to be on the do-not-mail list is going to pay more. Note the wording there, folks: It ain’t about missing out: it’s about paying more. We’re in hard-sell times. And an interesting note: Postmaster general Jack Potter has commented that when standard mail volume drops, per-piece standard mail prices rise. Any local SF merchants, who use direct mail to generate foot traffic, care to weigh in?
