Hard-hit companies offered major direct mail incentive

Royal Mail MarketReach is aiming to breathe new life into the direct mail market during the current crisis with the launch of a scheme specifically designed to support brands and sectors that have been hit hardest by the outbreak.

The Covid-19 Open for Business Incentive launches today (May 6) for mailings running from May 20 to December 31 2020 and is only available through an online application.

Crucially, it provides companies with “postage credits”, rather than immediate discount rates, meaning brands will get money off their future campaigns. They will have 12 months to redeem the credits.

The incentive covers the three core Royal Mail Wholesale products of Advertising Mail, Responsible Mail and Partially Addressed Mail, although Door to Door is not covered.

The company says the scheme is “designed to assist businesses with directly engaging with customers and prospects and to provide a much needed boost to their trading and advertising activity…whether you are a high street retail outlet looking to drive customers to your website to boost online sales, or a charity seeking an uplift in donations”.

However, there are strict criteria that companies have to meet, with only those businesses which have been directly affected by Covid-19 being eligible.

These include retailers that have been forced to close their doors; charities seeking donations; brands which have been unable to use pre-booked channels like cinema and out of home; travel and tourism brands promoting their products; those planning mailings to vulnerable customers to support physical or mental well-being; and magazine publishers promoting subscriptions.

WPNC chairman John Watson said: “With conventional channels for recruitment shut off – such as face to face and events – charities are struggling to fill the gap. Direct mail is still top of the list in terms of the quality of the donors it can recruit and so this very welcome offer from Royal Mail is going to give it a real shot in the arm.

“There’s still the issue of data and GDPR, and my view is that Starcount’s profiling technique allied to Partially Addressed Mail puts the GDPR issue well into the long grass. And of course, the creative is still paramount.”

WPNC is running an hour-long free webinar on fundraising direct mail tomorrow (May 7), where clients will get the opportunity to quiz Royal Mail executives, including head of contracts Shaun Roberts, on the deal.

The webinar is also designed to help marketers plan, set strategy and start thinking about filling the funding gap using the latest ideas about mail. Further details are available here>