'Delivered by Royal Mail' approved

Royal Mail is finally introducing its “Delivered by Royal
Mail” postmark on all direct mail – much to the annoyance of DMA members – after being forced to delay the launch
nearly eight months following a mass protest.
All post handled by TNT Post and UK Mail already carries their branding, even though Royal Mail posties actually deliver the items in the so-called final mile. The Royal Mail stamp will now sit alongside rivals’ logos.
The change – which will start next month – could take up to six months to complete to enable old stocks of stationery to be used up.
Most of the 15 billion letters and parcels carried by the business every year will carry the new slogan, but not those which are hand-sorted.
Originally scheduled to launch last September, Royal Mail was forced into a rethink after a mass complaint by DMA members was sent to Postcomm. But the uproar was branded a “storm in a tea-cup” by some creative directors, after commentators expressed concerns that it would seriously hinder the “creativity” of some mailshots.
The launch of the postmark follows a Royal Mail survey of more than 1,000 people, which claimed that almost four out of five would welcome clarity on which company delivered which item of mail to avoid confusion.
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, the plans have not gone down well at the DMA. Chief of operations Mike Lordan said: “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.”