The Future of Correspondence (July 2013)

THE FUTURE OF
CORRESPONDENCE
July 2013

3 GENERATION GO
WHAT WE’LL COVER
Executive Summary........................................................................................................ 3
Methodology ................................................................................................................ 4
Slow Communication....................................................................................................... 5
The Fusion of Digital and Physical….................................................................................... 21
Case Studies: Eight Innovative Direct Mail Campaigns............................................................. 43
Things to Watch: Delivery Lockers, Rethinking Email and Simplifying Addresses and Stamps............ 52
Appendix.................................................................................................................... 62
• More About Our Experts/Influencers................................................................................. 63
• Additional Charts........................................................................................................ 65

3 GENERATION GO
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
For more than two centuries, letters were the primary way people could communicate over long distances. The
telegram and the telephone made communication more instantaneous, but it’s only in the last few decades that
multiple cheap and easy options have proliferated: faxes, then emails, then text messages and tweets, among
other things.
These tools have radically reshaped the way people stay in contact with each other and with businesses. But
postal services are here to stay. We still need packages delivered, for one thing, and the rise of e-commerce
means more and more of them. We’re also seeing an uptick in stationery sales in this digital age. Indeed, as a
countertrend to today’s proliferation of thoughtless tweets, texts, status updates and emails, people are coming
to appreciate slower, more mindful communications—giving new significance to the act of sending and receiving
physical mail.
While slower communication is growing in appeal, for the most part today’s consumers are seeking the best of
both worlds: the more sensory satisfactions of the physical realm along with the ease, interactivity and
anywhere-access of the digital sphere. Consumers are coming to expect a seamless experience and array of
options across the digital-to-physical spectrum. Marketers and postal services have been catering to this in
various ways, including adding digital components to physical mail, digitizing real-world mail and translating
digital content into physical deliveries.
This report examines the rise of Slow Communication and the Fusion of Digital and Physical, examining what’s
driving these trends and the ways in which they’re manifesting, as well as what they mean for marketers. We also
spotlight eight innovative direct mail campaigns and take a look at how email is evolving, the advent of delivery
lockers, and new approaches to stamps and addresses. The bottom line for brands: There are tremendous
opportunities to creatively leverage the power of mail.

METHODOLOGY
All our trend reports are the result of quantitative, qualitative and desk research conducted by
JWTIntelligence throughout the year. Specifically for this report, we conducted a quantitative
survey in the U.S. and the U.K. using SONAR™, JWT’s proprietary online tool, from Feb. 1-4,
2013. We surveyed 800 Americans and 400 Britons aged 18-plus. In addition, we interviewed
three relevant experts and influencers.
*See Appendix to learn more about these experts and influencers.
EVAN BAEHR, co-founder,
Outbox
ALEXA HIRSCHFIELD,
co-founder, Paperless post
TOM ALLASON, founder
and CEO, Shutl

Image credit: Alexander Savin
SLOW COMMUNICATION
One of our 100 Things to Watch in 2010 continues to gain adherents. As a
countertrend to today’s proliferation of thoughtless tweets, texts, status
updates and emails, consumers are coming to appreciate slower, more
mindful communications. This is giving new significance to the act of sending
and receiving physical mail.

SLOW COMMUNICATION
3 GENERATION GORethinking Instant Gratification
Nostalgia
Objectifying Objects
The “Mail Moment”
De-Teching
DRIVERS

SLOW COMMUNICATION
3 GENERATION GORethinking Instant Gratification
Nostalgia
Objectifying Objects
The “Mail Moment”
De-Teching
DRIVERS
Image credit: Laurence Vagner

As part of our survey, we asked respondents to assign personality traits to various communication
tools. Overall, they considered physical letters to be significantly more friendly, authentic and
kind than electronic messages.
MANIFESTATIONS: Physical mail seen as warmer, more authentic
SLOW COMMUNICATION

MANIFESTATIONS: Sending and receiving mail is satisfying
SLOW COMMUNICATION

MANIFESTATIONS: Stationery’s revival
SLOW COMMUNICATION
Stationery’s revival: Paper is experiencing a
revival, with digital natives embracing the
notion of penning notes sent through the mail.
Stationery was on our list of 100 Things to
Watch in 2012, and sales remain robust: The
global stationery and card market is expected
to reach $111.8 billion by 2016, a 25%
increase since 2011, according to an August
2012 report from MarketLine. Louis Vuitton
recently launched a stationery line,
showcased in a new Cabinet d’Ecriture in one
of its Paris boutiques.
Image credit: Louis Vuitton

MANIFESTATIONS: Catalogs’ endurance
SLOW COMMUNICATION
Catalogs’ endurance: “Printed catalogs
would seem to be a relic of the past,” The
Columbus Dispatch noted last year. But, as
the paper reported, “there is more life left in
those glossy pages than you might think. ...
Printed catalogs remain a key method for
luring customers—maybe more important than
ever.” U.S. companies spent $10.4 billion on
direct mail catalogs in 2011, up from $9.9
billion the year before, according to the
Direct Marketing Association. And nearly 90
million Americans bought an item from a
catalog in 2011.
The catalog continues to
open new doors and
opportunity for us. ... We
see a strong future for the
catalog, with this being one of many
ways that we communicate with our
customer.”
—JIM WRIGHT, SVP of marketing, Express,
“Despite the prevalence of digital media, catalogs
remain a huge part of business,” The Columbus
Dispatch, Aug. 5, 2012

MANIFESTATIONS: Books celebrating old-fashioned letter writing
SLOW COMMUNICATION
Books celebrating old-fashioned letter
writing: Three books released in the last
year alone celebrate slow communication:
Philip Hensher’s The Missing Ink: The Lost
Art of Handwriting, John O’Connell’s For
the Love of Letters: The Joy of Slow
Communication and Ian Sansom’s Paper:
An Elegy. There are also blogs dedicated
to postal mail. Viva Snail Mail!, for
instance, is about “the art and craft of
paper correspondence.”
Image credits: Amazon; Amazon

MANIFESTATIONS: Letter-writing programs
SLOW COMMUNICATION
Letter-writing programs: A string of initiatives from lovers of postal mail is designed to get more
people motivated to write and send letters.
Image credits: Marion Deuchars; Mary Robinette Kowal
The Hand Written Letter Project:
In 2007, London-based graphic designer Craig Oldham
invited designers and other creative thinkers to send him
letters on their own stationery.
Mary Robinette Kowal’s Month of Letters Challenge: In
January 2012, this science fiction writer encouraged her
fans to send something through the post every day during
the month of February (minus Sundays and a national
holiday) and to respond to any letters received. Almost
800 people officially signed up to participate.

MANIFESTATIONS: Social networks for post
SLOW COMMUNICATION
Social networks for post: Various social networks connect people looking to communicate via the
post.
Image credits: League of Extraordinary Penpals; Real
League of Extraordinary Penpals: Started in January by
two bloggers, the League of Extraordinary Penpals is a
club that connects pen pals looking to converse via
letters.
Real: “The word post has been stolen ... it’s our
aim to take it back,” says real-world social
network Real. Organized by the U.K.’s Royal
Mail, Real takes the idea of status updates,
posts and pictures, and makes them tangible.
Users apply for one of 25 small lockers or
“plots” in London, then send items to their plot
by mail.

MANIFESTATIONS: Mail subscription services
SLOW COMMUNICATION
Mail subscription services: A few services allow subscribers to receive artistic postcards or
handwritten letters through the mail.
Image credits: Abe’s Penny; The Rumpus
Abe’s Penny Letters in the Mail

3 GENERATION GO“I want what I want when I want it,” or so goes the mantra of the modern consumer. Reach
for a smartphone and you can shoot off an email, arrange an order from Amazon and
download a movie, all in minutes. Consumers have come to expect instant gratification, and
that expectation is only getting more pronounced. But at the same time, people will start to
value things that delay or extend gratification and take more time and effort.
Unwrap the process: With today’s consumers fascinated by the story behind products and
services they use, “unwrap the process” and help customers understand how mailed items
get to their destination. In December 2011, for instance, Delta Air Lines created a video that
tracked a bag’s journey from the counter to the carousel.
Embrace delayed gratification: In a hyper-connected, real-time world, delayed
gratification can have a certain appeal. By offering products over time or in stages, brands
can build anticipation and engage consumers who are willing to excitedly wait for the next
installment. Plus, when something arrives, recipients are more likely to pay attention. Serial
fiction, for instance, has taken off, as have mail-based subscription services that deliver
items on a regular schedule.
WHAT IT MEANS
SLOW COMMUNICATION

3 GENERATION GORemember that physical mail can build emotional connections: Tangible, real-world mail
has a unique emotional immediacy. Unlike emails, which are usually dashed off, letters tend to involve
more thought and effort. Sending letters and cards—especially if they’re handwritten and use high-end
stationery—is a way to make people feel important and special. As one interviewee explained to The
Wall Street Journal, a letter “makes the person real and 3D in a way that they can’t be online.”
Real-world communication can affect the brain in ways virtual media cannot, according to a 2009
neuroscience-based study by Millward Brown in the U.K. The findings, conducted for the Royal Mail,
“strongly suggest that greater emotional processing is facilitating by the physical material than the
virtual,” the agency said. The “‘real’ experience that physical media provides means it’s better at
becoming part of memory”; the material also tends to become more internalized (that is, related to the
individual’s own thoughts and feelings). As shown by MRI images of test subjects’ brains, “There is
something special about the physical medium.”
Given the impact of physical mail, both large and small businesses are incorporating handwritten letters
into their marketing strategy. In 2011, Sprint officially amped up its output of notes to customers by
implementing “Thank You Thursdays,” with all employees asked to write at least five thank you notes.
Since then, Sprint employees have sent hundreds of thousands of notes. Meanwhile, small business can
use personal notes to distinguish themselves from larger, more faceless rivals. For example, DuO, a
clothing boutique in Texas, sends new customers handwritten notes with an invitation to attend special
events or receive a discount.
WHAT IT MEANS (cont’d.)
SLOW COMMUNICATION

3 GENERATION GO Even with the iPad, [the
tablet] has not created a
suitable alternative
experience to lead people
to give up that wonderful
medium that is paper,
which is this incredible, malleable,
richly visual, interactive piece of
material that, in a lot of ways, the iPad
can’t really compete with.”
—EVAN BAEHR, co-founder,
hybrid mail service Outbox
Use real-world mail to create rich
experiences: Simply thumbing through
a catalog’s high-gloss pages is an
experience that digital versions and
online browsing can’t quite mimic. Plus,
physical mail can further engage
multiple senses with scents, textures,
visual quirks, sounds, edible samples and
so on. According to the Direct Marketing
Association, a catalog sent through the
mail is 30 times more effective at
getting a consumer to buy something
than an email. Brands can use physical
catalogs to create aesthetic and
engaging experiences that add an
important complement to digital
marketing.
SLOW COMMUNICATION

3 GENERATION GOTurn the mail piece into a product:
For brands, direct mail need not mean
simply disposable messages. With more
consumers inclined to Objectify Objects,
marketers can take advantage of mail by
sending things that recipients will want to
hold, touch and keep. Handwritten notes,
high-end cards or special items may merit
placement on a mantel. For example, BMW
mailed out such an item last November: a
unique “autograph” made from track marks
created by its speedy M6 Coupe. (See case
studies for more details.) In Singapore, DIY
Living created cardboard packaging that
could be easily transformed into furniture,
an idea that presents interesting potential
for postal boxes. Fun, interactive elements
can also engage and delight a recipient for
some time.
SLOW COMMUNICATION
Image credits: BMW; Fast Company

3 GENERATION GOHelp connect consumers in slower ways: As more consumers start to appreciate the
benefits of slow communication, brands can offer more alternatives to the frenzy of digital
communication. Royal Mail’s Real social network, for instance, uses the mail to help a small
group of users bring status updates into the physical world and encourages viewers to
converge on a physical location.
SLOW COMMUNICATION

Image credit: vignetfishnet
THE FUSION OF DIGITAL
AND PHYSICAL
People have come to expect the best of both worlds: the ease, interactivity
and anywhere-access of the digital sphere along with the more sensory
satisfactions of the physical realm. As the boundaries between these worlds
continue to blur, marketers will need to find creative ways to mesh the two,
mapping the benefits of one onto the other.

THE FUSION OF DIGITAL AND PHYSICAL
3 GENERATION GOThe allure of digital
The allure of physical
Worlds Colliding
DRIVERS
Image credits: Jason Howie; drjeeeol

MANIFESTATIONS: Mapping digital elements onto physical
Image credit: Sean Ludwig
Physical mail is getting more digital
in two key ways. QR codes and the
like can lead recipients to
multimedia elements. The U.S.
Postal Service, aiming to drive more
interactive mail, is even giving
discounts to senders that integrate
elements such as RFID chips, NFC
smart tags and augmented reality;
it’s also working with AR firm
Aurasma on an app that would make
mailers interactive. Meanwhile,
postal services and private
companies are digitizing real-world
mail, allowing recipients to access it
via digital devices.

MANIFESTATIONS: Interactive mail — QR codes on bills
Image credits: doxo; linn; Cablevision; steven2e0cnd
doxo: Hybrid mail provider doxo uses QR codes
to help customers transition from paper
statements to digital payments: When users
scan the QR code on their statement, they’re
directed to doxoPAY, where they can view and
pay bills using a mobile phone.
Cablevision: Cablevision is putting QR codes on
envelopes; recipients who scan them are
prompted to call in to learn more about new
offerings.

MANIFESTATIONS: Interactive mail — Monarch Airlines
Image credit: Monarch Airlines
Monarch Airlines: A good example of adding
digital elements to direct mail comes from this
British airline, which targeted snow-sports fans
with a mailing that unfolded to reveal a large
mountain range and inspiring shots of
destinations that Monarch services. Recipients
could use Blippar’s augmented reality app to
bring the card to life, with 3D mountains, a
recorded introduction from British Olympian
Chemmy Alcott and a series of videos hidden
around the mountainscape. The app allowed
people to share photos and information via their
social networks.

MANIFESTATIONS: Interactive mail — Postagram
Image credit: Postagram
Postagram: To facilitate sharing, each postcard
mailed via this app—which allows users to send
physical cards from their mobile device—
includes a QR code. When it’s scanned by the
recipient, the app notifies the sender that the
card was received, offers to download a digital
copy of the photo, enables sharing via Twitter,
and provides the option to reply with a
Postagram. The app will also automatically add
the sender’s mailing address to the recipient’s
contact list.

MANIFESTATIONS: Digitizing physical mail — Outbox
Image credit: Outbox
Outbox: This startup, which has negotiated a
partnership with the U.S. Postal Service,
securely intercepts and digitizes mail, allowing
subscribers to read, tag and permanently store
messages on a digital device. The service can
also scan checks, enabling users to make
deposits directly from their Outbox account.
Outbox can recycle the mail or send it along to
a user’s mailing address.

MANIFESTATIONS: Digitizing physical mail — e-billing services
Image credits: Manilla; Zumbox; Volly; doxo; Earth Class Mail

MANIFESTATIONS: Digitizing physical mail — postal services
Image credits: Itella Corp.; Swiss Post Box
NetPosti: From Finland’s Itella Corp. (the
country’s postal unit), this service allows users
to receive digital copies of important mail such
as bills, pay slips and lab results one or two days
earlier than physical mail would arrive. They
can access this mail via the cloud, where it is
archived for seven years free of charge.
Swiss Post Box: This service receives users’
letters and emails a scan of the sealed
envelope; users can request to have the letter
opened and the contents scanned (which they
receive the next day), or it can be recycled,
shredded or sent to a mailing address. The cost
varies based on the volume of letters.

MANIFESTATIONS: Mapping physical elements onto digital
Image credit: Amazon
A variety of services translate digital
content into physical deliveries. For
instance, Polish Post’s hybrid mail
service, mostly targeted at businesses,
simplifies direct mailing by printing
clients’ electronic files and delivering
the output within a guaranteed time
frame.
More whimsically, volunteers for the
project Snail Mail My Email will write out
emails that people submit, then post
them as letters (a compilation of these
was recently published). Since mid-2011,
more than 400 volunteers have
collectively sent almost 14,000 letters.

MANIFESTATIONS: Digital-into-physical cards
Image credits: Paperless Post; Postcard on the Run
When the Web offers so
much more efficiency in
terms of time and cost
than the physical
equivalent, [consumers]
are choosing paper for just
the things paper has that the Web
doesn’t have when those things are
important—archival quality, the ability to
display it somewhere.”
—ALEXA HIRSCHFELD, co-founder,
Paperless Post

MANIFESTATIONS: Brand initiatives
Image credits: eHarmony; Heinz
eHarmony Australia, “Calligraphy Cupids”: The online
dating service’s “Calligraphy Cupids” created and sent
handwritten love letters for those who “liked” its
Facebook page and filled in the relevant details.
Heinz, “‘Get Well’ Soup”: Heinz enabled consumers to
send a personalized can of soup to sick friends via
Facebook. For roughly $3, senders (who had to “like”
Heinz soup) could create a custom “get well” message to
be printed on the can.

MANIFESTATIONS: Brand initiatives (cont’d)
Image credits: Kleenex; Greenberry
Kleenex, “feel good”: In a Kleenex initiative carried out
in Israel, the company selected 50 Facebook members
who had posted updates about getting sick, acquired
their addresses from friends and surprised them with
hand-delivered care packages.
PostNL, “from the heart”: In the Netherlands, the postal
service created a website that used a smart language
filter to showcase emotions and feelings shared over
Twitter in real time. Each day, the person with the most
responses to his/her tweet received a postbag full of
these responses handwritten on cards.

MANIFESTATIONS: Speedier delivery
Image credits: USPS; FedEx
Speedier delivery: While e-commerce may rate high on convenience, it fails on speed. Today’s
demanding digital consumer has come to expect the ease of ordering online but wants instant
gratification as well. So companies are seeking ways to keep shrinking the delivery window for
online orders.

MANIFESTATIONS: Speedier delivery — e-commerce providers
Image credits: Google; Amazon; Walmart
Google Shopping Express: Google is
pushing into the space, quietly launching a
private same-day service, Google Shopping
Express, in San Francisco this March; it’s
now in beta and looking to partner with
large retailers.
Amazon: Amazon is expanding its same-day delivery service
across the U.S., opening new distribution centers and
increasing efficiency at existing sites. (A new grocery service,
AmazonFresh, has a 10 a.m. cutoff for same-day delivery.)
Walmart.com: Walmart shoppers also have a
same-day delivery option—for a $10 fee, with
no minimum purchase—if they’re ordering
certain popular items.

MANIFESTATIONS: Speedier delivery — e-commerce providers (cont’d)
Image credits: eBay; Jingdong; Flipkart
eBay Now: eBay Now allows shoppers to receive
products from local merchants within hours, thanks to
a network of couriers (or “valets”). The app pushes
each order to the valet closest to the vendor in
question. Users can track the delivery’s progress and
phone the valet directly.
Jingdong: In China, e-commerce giant Jingdong now
offers three-hour delivery service in six major cities
and same-day service in 25-plus cities.
Flipkart: Customers of India’s dominant e-commerce
brand, Flipkart, which can deliver some items in 24
hours at no extra cost, can pay the courier with cash—a
key aim is to capture the significant number of
shoppers without credit cards.

MANIFESTATIONS: Speedier delivery — startups
Image credits: Shutl; Postmates; Instacart
Shutl: U.K.-based Shutl promises
prompt delivery—the fastest on record is
15 minutes. Customers can also have
items delivered within a specified one-
hour window. The company has
partnered with retailers Argos, Maplin
Electronics and Laithwaites Wine. It’s
now expanding to North America,
starting with Chicago, New York and San
Francisco.
Postmates: U.S.-based
Postmates offers a similar
service, as well as couriers
who make in-store purchases
and deliver them.
Instacart: Also in the U.S.,
Instacart is focused on grocery
delivery. Available in select
markets, it works with Safeway
and Trader Joe’s, sending couriers
to pick up and deliver orders.
Customers pay around $4 for
delivery within three hours or get
a $99 subscription.

3 GENERATION GOOur lifestyles now span a digital-to-physical spectrum, with consumers preferring to stick with paper
for some behaviors while entrenched in digital for others. As they shift from one realm to the next
and back again, they are coming to expect a seamless experience and an array of options across the
spectrum. Increasingly, brands will need to find creative ways to incorporate the benefits of digital
into physical mail and vice versa.
Put the consumer in control: By providing customers a way to exercise quality control over
their mail, brands can build trust, as well as a greater willingness to read and open any materials
received. Digital services like Outbox and Swiss Post Box empower consumers by letting them decide
which pieces of mail are delivered and in what format. And Canada Post helps people opt out of
anonymous mail: Customers who place a note on their mailbox receive only select unaddressed
materials, such as community newspapers and official documents.
With consumers accustomed to tracking deliveries in real time (as enabled by FedEx and UPS),
brands can also help customers keep tabs on their post. Postagram, for instance, can send
notifications when a user’s postcard is dispatched, when it reaches various post offices along the
way and when the recipient scans its QR code. Speedy delivery services like eBay Now and Shutl
allow users to track their courier in real time, from collection to delivery. The U.K.’s Royal Mail,
which considers e-commerce returns an increasingly lucrative market, is planning to launch
Packetpost Returns with Tracking, a service that helps online retailers and consumers track the
progress of packages as they’re sent back.
WHAT IT MEANS

3 GENERATION GOGo omnichannel: Consumers no longer differentiate between channels; they want to be
able to access brands by whatever’s the easiest or most appealing means at the time.
Channel-only marketing is at odds with this behavior. “If you get an email and it says ‘Online
only, 50% off,’ the consumer is thinking, ‘Why couldn’t I just print this and go to the store?”
Consumers might start in one channel and wind up in another,” notes Jill Puleri, VP and
global retail leader for IBM Global Business Services.
Marketers must connect the channels so consumers can hop from digital (and its various
platforms) to physical, however and whenever they want. Making real-world mail interactive
with QR codes, augmented reality and the like is one way to do this, and also to engage
consumers with a more dynamic experience. Postal brands can make mail easily available on
multiple platforms, as companies such as Outbox and national postal services like Swiss Post
are doing. While some, such as the U.S. Postal Service, may be legally restricted from
opening mail, they can partner with third parties to provide this offering.
Brands can also use hybrid mail services like Outbox and Earth Class Mail to better target
physical mailings. For instance, marketers looking to mail samples could first send out email
via a service like Outbox that invites users to opt in to the (physical) marketing mail that’s
relevant to them.

Simplify the sending process: Sending mail can be a discouraging
hassle, whether it’s small businesses printing and distributing direct
marketing or consumers buying stamps and getting to the post office.
Brands can simplify the process. The Royal Mail’s MarketReach
agency, for instance, helps companies target consumers and then
creates and sends bespoke mailings. For consumers, brands can
enable the sending of mail directly from a digital device (e.g.,
Postagram, Heinz’s “Get Well Soup” initiative and Apple’s Cards);
offer digital stamps (such as those developed by Post Danmark),
allowing physical mail to be sent on the fly; and circumvent the need
for an address (e.g., Postagram’s Sincerely Magic feature).
Another way to simplify is by developing a more robust online
platform that allows people to reply to mail such as bills, forms and
subscriptions. Manilla, doxo and Pitney Bowes’ Volly, for instance,
offer a dashboard from which customers can review and respond to
business-related mailings. Brands can also develop a way to
automate the reply process. Cards, bills or invitations might include
a QR code that directs users to a customized response that can be
easily sent either digitally or physically.
Image credit: doxo

Show digital and physical media aren’t so far apart: To some
digital natives and others immersed in the virtual world, postal mail
can feel antiquated and irrelevant. Giving social media output a
physical form (converting physical mail into social media) can remind
consumers that the two are connected and complementary.
The Dutch postal service, for instance, highlighted this link in a
campaign by handwriting various emotions and feelings shared over
Twitter on physical cards that were then hand-delivered by a
celebrity. Last November, the Gap partnered with Postagram, allowing
people to send their Facebook photos as printed postcards to friends
for free; the postcards included a personalized message, the Gap’s
logo and a QR code. Postagram recently launched a similar promotion
with Coppertone.
Brands can also use social media data to provide personalized
suggestions on when to send mail, reminding people when birthdays
and other special occasions are coming up and helping them to send
physical greetings—much more meaningful than a Facebook wall post.
Image credit: Dutch Royal Mail

Ease environmental concerns: As more people become environmentally conscious, brands
must allay concerns about paper waste. For real-world mailings, marketers can emphasize the
use of sustainable, recyclable paper. Conversely, brands can offer a robust digital offering that
helps people cut down on physical mail.
Explore faster delivery: The fact is, same-day or faster delivery isn’t a priority for many
customers: A March report by The Boston Consulting Group found that interest among U.S.
consumers is limited—but that affluent Millennials (who spend about two times more online
than the average American) are significantly more likely to embrace such services. Plus, BCG
believes they can have a “brand halo” effect: 38% of their survey respondents reported that a
same-day delivery option would have a very positive influence on their perception of an online
retailer.
The report also estimated that in 2013, same-day delivery could generate between $425 million
and $850 million in fee income in the U.S. While the logistics are complex, brands can partner
with third-party services like Shutl as they expand their networks.

CASE STUDIES
Direct mail has a unique ability to inform, engage and motivate consumers.
We scanned the globe for innovative efforts—from JWT and beyond—that
creatively leverage the power of mail.
Image credit: Kit Kat

CASE STUDIES
Image credit: Seda
Seda Shampoo was looking to compete with
more expensive, high-end products in Brazil’s
competitive hair care market. The brand
worked with JWT Brazil last year on a direct
mail campaign that sought to grab the
attention of trendsetters, build buzz on social
media and change perceptions of the product.
Seda created cards made of shampoo,
transforming the liquid into a solid sheet; the
final product looked like white paper but
dissolved into usable shampoo when
submerged in water. These were sent to 50
trendsetters, printed with an invitation to the
Sónar festival, a well-known music event in
São Paulo. The invitations were widely shared
on social media, reaching an audience of
more than 35,000 people within one week.
Seda, “Shampoo Paper”

CASE STUDIES
Image credit: Union Bank of India
In big cities like Mumbai, apartment renters
tend not to stay in one place for long,
relocating as rents rise. Looking to boost its
mortgage business, Union Bank of India turned
to direct mail, using the envelope as the
creative vehicle. Mining its database for
customers who had changed addresses
frequently, the bank created envelopes that
appeared to have been redirected from one
old address to the next, following the same
path the consumer had traveled in life. Inside
was a simple message: “Don’t you think it’s
time you had a home of your own?” These
personalized mailers built familiarity between
the bank and its customers, with nearly two-
thirds of recipients responding to the mailer
by calling or visiting a branch; the bank also
saw a 38% increase in home loan inquiries.
Union Bank of India, “Bouncing Mail”

CASE STUDIES
Image credit: BMW
To promote its new M6 Coupe, BMW sent
“autographs” made by the sporty vehicle to
BMW owners and aficionados. To create these
autographs, the chief driving instructor of
BMW’s Performance Driving School raced an
M6 equipped with ink dispensers over paper at
high speeds. The paper was then cut up into
cards, creating souvenirs of the car’s rubber-
burning power—unique prints that recipients
could display or hold onto as a keepsake. The
initiative was covered by multiple press
outlets, and the companion video has
garnered nearly half a million views since it
was posted in November.
BMW, “The M Press”

CASE STUDIES
Image credit: Telecom
In 2012, one of New Zealand’s biggest
telecommunications companies wanted to
show its appreciation to its most loyal
customers. Telecom unfurled a giant blank
canvas at its headquarters and asked
employees, including the CEO, to cover it
with messages of thanks. The completed
canvas was converted into thousands of
envelopes and letters, which were then
mailed to customers around the country. Each
letter directed people to a microsite, where
recipients could see their letter being created
and select a Telecom product as a gift. Within
days, more than 20% of consumers visited the
site to choose a gift.
Telecom, “Big Thank You”

CASE STUDIES
Image credit: Australia Post
To advertise a new service that provides an
affordable way to send luggage from a hotel
and avoid excess baggage fees at the airport,
Australia Post sent hoteliers a suitcase-shaped
mailing that included a real wooden hanger
and paper pants. The whimsical package was
designed to grab the attention of hotel
operators looking to offer added value. “A
new way to exceed your customer’s
expectations” was how Australia Post billed
the offer. Some 85 hotels agreed to use the
service, almost 10% of those that received the
offer.
Australia Post, “Big Yellow Suitcase”

CASE STUDIES
Image credit: Kit Kat
Inspired by the fact that pronunciation of “Kit
Kat” closely mimics the Japanese “kitto
katsu” (“surely win”), the campaign involved
a first-of-its-kind partnership with Japan Post
that enabled consumers to send wishes of
good fortune to students during the country’s
high-pressure exam season. The brand
created special mailers that contained a Kit
Kat bar and space to write a personal
message, then took the unprecedented step
of placing them in 22,000 post offices around
the country. The campaign generated more
than $11 million in free publicity as the
promotion rolled out. What’s more, “Kit Kat
Mail” has become a permanent fixture in
Japan’s post offices, allowing consumers to
send good tidings for any occasion.
Kit Kat, “Kit Kat Mail”

CASE STUDIES
Image credit: GGRP
By harking back to sound recording’s roots
with a novel gift, Vancouver-based sound
studio GGRP showcased itself in a fresh way
that got people talking. The direct mail
package, sent to creative directors across
North America in 2009 and 2010, included a
45rpm vinyl record in a cardboard postal
sleeve that was foldable into a small working
turntable. The clever device could be
manually rotated cardboard “speaker.” It
came with a vinyl recording of a children’s
story called “A Town That Found Its Sound.”
The retro-primitive play on sound production
and the wow factor—that the flimsy player
actually worked—garnered a burst of coverage
on tech blogs and a surge in visits to the
company’s website. Direct response was over
90%.
GGRP, “Cardboard Record Player”

CASE STUDIES
Image credit: UNICEF
To convey the urgency and direness of the
malnutrition problem in the Philippines,
UNICEF settled on an approach notable for
both its directness and poignancy. The
international aid organization created a direct
mail package for donors featuring a 6-
centimer hole in the envelope, big enough to
fit the arm of a malnourished child. A letter
asked if donors could fit their arms through
the hole, bringing home the devastating
impact of malnutrition. The mailer also
included a MUAC-tape (mid-upper arm
circumference), a tool used by field workers
to diagnose malnutrition in children, to give a
sense of what aid workers do. The campaign
resulted in income growth of 170% more than
anticipated in the span of a year and at a
lower cost per donor.
UNICEF, “Fahad’s Arm”

The P.O. box is getting a high-tech
upgrade. User-operated delivery lockers
aim to speed up deliveries and let people
pick up packages, groceries and other
items in nearby locations and at
convenient times. Missed deliveries can
be costly for businesses and aggravating
for consumers. In the U.K., failed first-
time, on-time deliveries cost the
e-commerce sector an estimated £851
million, according to a 2012 report by
IMRG. And two-fifths of British shoppers
have stopped purchasing from a website
after a problematic delivery, per the
industry association Interactive Media
Group.
THINGS TO WATCH: DELIVERY LOCKERS
Image credit: USPS
Postal services
USPS: The USPS pilot program, gopost, was
unveiled in April 2012

Image credit: Amazon
Amazon/Walmart
Amazon: First introduced in late 2011,
Amazon’s delivery lockers allow customers
to pick up items in chain drugstores, 7-
Eleven stores and Staples outlets.
Introduced in Seattle, London and then
New York City in late 2011, Amazon’s
delivery lockers allow customers to pick
up items from a nearby site rather than
wait at home for deliveries. The service
has expanded to more American cities,
with lockers in 7-Eleven stores, chain
drugstores and Staples outlets, among
other locations. In the U.K., where the
service is dubbed Collect+, Amazon
lockers are similarly found in convenience
stores, newsagents and gas stations.
Walmart has announced plans to launch
delivery lockers in U.S. stores this summer.

Image credits: BufferBox; Kinek
BufferBox/Kinek
BufferBox: Users in and around Toronto
can have packages sent to a BufferBox in
select locations across the region and
access them via PIN code at no additional
fee.
Kinek: Kinek allows online shoppers to ship
their packages to a number of locations
around the U.S. and Canada.

Image credits: Cleveron; SmartPOST
Cleveron and Itella grocery pickup
Cleveron: In Estonia, Finland, Russia and
Ukraine, users can pick up or drop off
packages at Cleveron lockers. Credit card
readers even allow customers to pay for
goods as they collect them.
Itella: In January Finnish postal service
Itella Corp. expanded their SmartPOST
program. A pilot click and collect scheme
allows shoppers to ship groceries to their
new refrigerated lockers.

THINGS TO WATCH: RETHINKING EMAIL
Rethinking email
Email was once a great tool
for communication, one
that was less intrusive than
the telephone and faster
than the Postal Service. Now, even when
it works as designed, it’s a virtual
nightmare.”
—JENNA WORTHAM,
“When E-Mail Turns From Delight to Deluge,”
The New York Times, Feb. 9, 2013
Despite the advances the Internet has made over
the years—with the advent of mobile connectivity,
social media interfaces, rich video, etc.—email
has remained stubbornly 1.0.
Messages arrive with unreliable speed (who hasn’t
had an urgent email come in hours later?) at
random intervals, all demanding attention at
once. Aside from spam, a persistent issue, it’s a
chore sorting the important messages from the
rest. Inboxes, designed to mimic old filing
systems, become overwhelming if ignored for a
few days, or even hours.
Email is increasingly identified as a productivity
drain. It now chews up 28% of the week for high-
skill knowledge workers, according to a July 2012
study by the McKinsey Global Institute. With the
email world ripe for revolution, various parties
are taking new approaches:

Image credits: AOL; ZigMail
Smarter inboxes
The email inbox, though familiar, is hardly intuitive. Even with prioritization, every message gets
relatively similar treatment, making it difficult to determine which must be attended to quickly,
or at all. New services employ novel visual interfaces to help users organize messages.
Alto: AOL’s Alto sorts messages, searches
and attachments into stacks.
ZigMail: ZigMail sorts a user’s email into
titled categories.

Image credits: Mailbox; Gander
Better mail management
As more people check work and personal messages on one device, it’s becoming important to help
people better manage their messages.
Mailbox: The Mailbox app is optimized for
fast sorting for users with multiple inboxes.
Gander: Users can drag and drop mail into
sections using Gander.

THINGS TO WATCH: SIMPLIFYING ADDRESSES & STAMPS
Image credits: Postcard on the Run; Sincerely
Fixing the address problem
Since people don’t send physical mail as often as they used to, they’re less diligent about keeping
track of addresses, one obstacle to sending out physical cards. One solution is to require that the
sender provide only a social media account or email address—IDs that tend to be stable over
time—rather than a mailing address. Another is making it easier to get addresses from friends via
apps.
Postal Gopher: Postcard on the Run will
find addresses and update your contacts.
Sincerely’s Magic: Sincerely lets users send
products to fellow users without an address.

THINGS TO WATCH: SIMPLIFYING ADDRESSES & STAMPS
Image credit: Post Danmark
Simpler stamps
Postal services are developing digital postage stamps—in the form of codes—to replace the
physical versions.
PortoMobil: In Denmark, people can text “porto” to a Post Danmark
number to receive a code to write on an envelope in lieu of a stamp.

APPENDIX:
MORE ABOUT OUR EXPERTS/INFLUENCERS

APPENDIX: MORE ABOUT OUR EXPERTS/INFLUENCERS
TOM ALLASON, founder and CEO, Shutl
Allason is a serial entrepreneur. His courier infatuation began while working at his only “real job,” as a
trainee shipbroker, where he learned the business from the ground up. After a bad experience with his local
courier firm, Allason set up eCourier.co.uk in 2003 with the novel ambition of making customers happy. In
2009, eCourier.co.uk reached No. 6 on Deloitte’s list of the U.K.’s fastest-growing technology businesses.
Allason left eCourier.co.uk in 2008 to set about solving delivery for e-commerce. Later that year, Shutl was
born. The company enables same-day delivery by connecting retailers with local delivery services. Allason
fosters support for other entrepreneurs as a trustee at FoundationStone, which makes seed donations to
startup charities.
EVAN BAEHR, co-founder, Outbox
A fan of wax seals and handwritten thank you notes, Baehr is passionate about changing how we
communicate with each other where the digital and physical meet. From fundraising to hiring, Baehr sells
the vision of Outbox wherever he goes. Previously, he worked on the Facebook platform and for PayPal co-
founder Peter Thiel, served in the White House and U.S. House of Representatives, and graduated from
Princeton, Yale and Harvard Business School.
ALEXA HIRSCHFELD, co-founder, Paperless Post
Paperless Post has delivered over 80 million online invitations since it launched in 2009, introducing design
as a core value of the medium, removing ads and changing the way people look at the vertical. The
company, co‐founded by Hirschfeld and her brother James, has raised over $12 million in venture financing.
Hirschfeld has been recognized as one of Fortune’s “10 Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs” and was one
of Fast Company’s “Most Influential Women in Technology” in both 2010 and 2011. She was also named an
NYC Venture Fellow in 2012 by

JWTIntelligence: JWTIntelligence is a center for provocative thinking that focuses on identifying shifts in the global zeitgeist. Its aim is to bring the outside
in—to help inspire ideas beyond brand, category and consumer conventions—and to identify emerging opportunities so they can be leveraged for business
gain. As a part of JWT, the world’s best-known marketing communications brand, JWTIntelligence has conducted trends research and analysis across
categories and geographies for nearly a decade.
JWT: JWT is the world’s best-known marketing communications brand. Headquartered in New York, JWT is a true global network with more than 200
offices in over 90 countries, employing nearly 10,000 marketing professionals. JWT consistently ranks among the top agency networks in the world and
continues a dominant presence in the industry by staying on the leading edge—from producing the first-ever TV commercial in 1939 to developing award-
winning branded content today. JWT embraces a WORLDMADE philosophy, making things inspired by the world through blending technological innovation
with international imagination. JWT has forged deep relationships with clients including Bayer, Diageo, Ford, HSBC, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg’s,
Kimberly-Clark, Macy’s, Mondelez, Nestlé, Nokia, Rolex, Royal Caribbean, Schick, Shell, Unilever, Vodafone, Vonage and many others. JWT’s parent
company is WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY). For more information, please visit www.jwt.com and follow us @JWT_Worldwide.
www.jwt.com | @JWT_Worldwide
www.jwtintelligence.com | @JWTIntelligence
www.anxietyindex.com | @AnxietyIndex
CONTACT:The Future of Correspondence
Written by
Director of trendspotting
Editor
Senior trends strategist
Trends associate
Contributors
SONAR™
Design
Will Palley
Ann M. Mack
Marian Berelowitz
Jessica Vaughn
Nicholas Ayala
Aaron Baar
Alec Foege
Mark Truss
Karen Montecuollo
Peter Mullaney
Ann M. Mack
212-210-7378
ann.mack@jwt.com
@annmmack
Will Palley
212-210-7225
william.palley@jwt.com
@wpalley
© 2013 J. Walter Thompson Company.
All Rights Reserved.
THANK YOU
Cover credits: 1. Hub 2. khrawlings
3. Roger Schultz 4. backkratze
5. Joel Washing 6. Javi Sevillano
7. SCFiasco

The Future of Correspondence (July 2013)

Empfohlen

Empfohlen

Weitere ähnliche Inhalte

Was ist angesagt?

Was ist angesagt? (20)

Andere mochten auch

Andere mochten auch (20)

Ähnlich wie The Future of Correspondence (July 2013)

Ähnlich wie The Future of Correspondence (July 2013) (20)

Mehr von J. Walter Thompson Intelligence

Mehr von J. Walter Thompson Intelligence (20)

Kürzlich hochgeladen

Kürzlich hochgeladen (20)

The Future of Correspondence (July 2013)