Mail Moves America and Printing Powers Prosperity

NPES is committed to maintaining print communications as a vital component of the U.S. economy via its leadership in the Mail Moves America (MMA) coalition. This broad-based national coalition of mailing and fulfillment industry-related companies and associations was formed to educate consumers and elected officials about the importance and value of advertising mail, and to counter harmful “Do-Not-Mail” legislation.

Importance of Print Communications and Mail

Despite the growth of electronic communications, U.S. mail remains a vital means of exchanging information and conducting commerce for over 146 million American households, businesses and non-profit organizations. According to the Direct Marketing Association, the average U.S. household receives just over 14 pieces of Standard Mail per week from businesses and non-profit organizations. They say it makes shopping more convenient, gives consumers additional choices, and saves them money.

Moving from the importance of mail to individual consumers and businesses to its significance to the national economy, it is important to recognize that nearly half of all print communication moves through the postal system, and that advertising mail currently provides the United States Postal Service with a third of its revenue. A loss of this volume, and the revenue it generates, has the potential to raise postal rates, curtail postal service, and ultimately damage the larger U.S. economy.

NPES’ Vigilant Opposition to “Do-Not-Mail” Initiatives

It’s usually a simple matter for consumers to request that their names be removed from mailing lists. Nevertheless, the recent “Do-Not-Mail” legislative initiatives at the state level, which would impede commercial communication and consumer choice, persist. Fortunately, none have been enacted into law yet and NPES and its MMA coalition colleagues remain vigilant in their opposition to such legislation.

Unified, Proactive Action is Imperative

Currently, even more troubling is the effort by environmental activists to bring the “Do-Not-Mail” agenda to the forefront and into the court of national public opinion, via articles in major newspapers and national TV media coverage. This newest strategy demands a unified and proactive response not only from the direct mail industry and its suppliers, but also from the much larger universe of ‘Main Street’ businesses and industries that depend on direct mail advertising for their livelihood. Legislative battles won in the various states, important as they are, will be to no avail if the war of national public opinion is lost.

NPES urges its members to educate their elected representatives on how important print communication through the U.S. Postal System is to a strong local and national economy, and the jobs that flow from it.

 

Do-not-Mail Talking Points

1.  Mail matters to small businesses.  Small businesses depend on advertising mail to generate new sales that in turn generate new jobs.

Small businesses are far and away the number one job creator in the U.S., producing between 60 to 80 percent of all new jobs. These small businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs rely on advertising mail to reach customers in order to survive.  Who are these small businesses?  They’re your local florist, painter, coffee shop, landscaper or mom and pop shop.  If it weren’t for advertising mail, these folks would lose a critical link to their customers. 

2.  Small, local businesses can’t afford Super Bowl ads.  They rely on the mail to help them reach new and existing customers.

Taking away advertising mail is unfair to small, local businesses that rely on it as an inexpensive and effective way to advertise.  More than 300,000 small businesses around the country who sell a wide range of products and services rely on advertising mail.   Unlike large companies, these small businesses can’t afford large-scale TV, radio and print campaigns.  They rely on mail to reach potential customers.  

3.  Advertising mail doesn’t kill forests, but eliminating it will help kill thousands of jobs for Floridians

We are proud of our environmental record and are happy to talk about what we’ve done for forestry.  Advertising mail is an environmentally responsible way to reach customers.  America’s forests are in the best shape they’ve been since the 1900s, and our companies plant more than 620 million trees a year.  Add to that the millions of trees American homeowners plant every year and you’ll start to understand why our forests are in such good shape.  It’s in our interest to have healthy forests.  Advertising mail depends on sustainable forestry practices, and relies on trees that are planted, harvested and re-planted solely for the use of paper.  Advertising mail is also recyclable.  According to the EPA, the recycling rate for advertising mail has increased by 700 percent since 1990, and that rate continues to climb.