The U.S. Postal Service began testing a new program on Monday that lets mailers enhance their mail pieces with specially designed Post-It notes.
The service, being offered in conjunction with Post-It manufacturer 3M Co., allows mailers to attach a Post-In note on the left-side of the front of a standard size business envelope, or a large-size postcard being sent by first-class mail or Standard (advertising) mail. The piece must be machinable, and presorted by ZIP+4.
The USPS refers to the Post-Its as Repositionable Notes (RPN’s).
The test will “determine market interest and operational feasibility within the postal system” and its impact on automatable equipment, according to USPS Spokeswoman Sue Brennan.
Jerry Cerasale, the Direct Marketing Association’s senior vice president, government affairs, said the program “allows mailers to try and have a little more ability to be creative with their mail pieces while meeting the postal service’s machinability requirements without having to pay higher rates.”
Nicholas Barranca, vice president-product development said in a statement that “testing and research have shown that the use of RPN’s significantly increases advertiser’s response rates, making ad mail a more valuable medium” for direct marketers and mass mailers.
Postal officials are looking for the program to boost both sagging volumes and revenues. Last month, the USPS which reported a mid-year deficit of $195.2 million, won the Postal Rate Commission’s endorsement of a proposed early-summer rate increase averaging 7.7%.
Next week the postal service’s Board of Governors is expected to approve the rate hike, ordering it into effect on Sunday, June 30.
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