DMA unhappy at Royal Mail decision to stamp ‘delivered by Royal Mail’ on all post
The Direct Marketing Association has said it is not happy with the announcement from the Royal Mail today that it will stamp ‘Delivered by Royal Mail’ on the letters and parcels it delivers.
The Royal Mail said that a YouGov survey found that 77% of the public would like to be able to tell what company delivered what items of mail, but the DMA feels that it is a matter for direct marketers.
The new mark will be applied through a change in the design of the Printed Postage Impression (PPI) – or postage-paid mark - printed on the envelope by mail users, and is designed to fit within the existing PPI area specified on the top right hand corner of the envelope avoiding the franking zone.
Changes to the PPI will be effective from 23 June 2012, but there is a six month period for migration up until 2 January 2013 to enable old stocks of stationery which do not have the ‘Delivered by Royal Mail mark printed on them to be used up.
Moya Greene, chief executive of Royal Mail, said: “Delivering to 29 million addresses six days a week is a major task. The new mark ensures that postmen and women get recognition for the vital task they complete every working day.
“We are proud of the distinctive service we offer and we want customers to be aware of the difference. It is important we avoid customer confusion in the UK’s very competitive postal market, where many items are handled by providers other than Royal Mail.”
However, Mike Lordan, chief of operation for the Direct Marketing Association, commented: “Royal Mail’s decision to start stamping the mail it delivers may well appeal to the postmen that deliver it, but the DMA members we’ve spoken to – Royal Mail’s customers – are not happy about the prospect.
“Royal Mail does not own the envelopes that it delivers, so it’s hard to understand what right it believes it has to stamp its own marketing message on a medium that is not its property. If Royal Mail wants to market itself to householders by telling them who delivered their mail, then it should find another means of doing so.”