Saturday Mail Getting the Sack

What will it mean to American business if the Postal Service eliminates Saturday delivery? A majority of businesses will probably be unaffected. However, there are a few businesses that will have to make adjustments. As a printer, we occasionally ship packages that need to arrive on Saturday. These usually go to hotels or convention venues for use at trade shows, exhibits, or training sessions. We typically use FedEx, so it is not a problem. But I am sure there are other companies who rely on the USPS. Some retail businesses routinely time their direct mail to arrive on Saturday to target weekend shoppers.  And some people expect their Netflix to arrive on Saturday.

The last time congress decided to eliminate Saturday delivery was during the Eisenhower administration. There was such an uproar from outraged citizens, that service was restored almost immediately. It seems unlikely that will happen again given today's digital alternatives. But who knows? Whatever the case, eliminating Saturday delivery will only put more snail in the mail.   

Google Using Direct Mail to Promote Adwords

In case you think that print advertising has gone the way of the horse and buggy, here's a news flash. Google is using direct mail to promote Adwords, its online advertising program. Today I received a letter from Google along with a brochure and coupon for Adwords. If Google, the largest venue for online advertising in the world, chooses to mail printed brochures to solicit potential customers, what does that mean for the rest of us? Clearly, Google could flood the internet with online advertising for its own services at minimal cost. By choosing to use direct mail, Google is acknowledging that print media still works. Their marketing people have probably calculated that direct mail is well worth the cost of printing and postage. They would be right. Print lends credibility and drives customers to the electronic media. An integrated campaign, using electronic and print media in a coordinated manner, may be the most effective way ever to get your message across.