U.S. Postal Service Reclaiming a Share of the Shipping Business

And making the shipping process easier too.

When it comes to sending that perfect thing you found for your sister in Seattle, most people think of shipping icons FedEx and UPS. But let’s face it — shipping stuff is a hassle. Weigh your box. Measure your box. Where’s it going? Where’s it coming from? Wouldn’t it be great if it were just…easier?

It can be.

Faced with very difficult marketing challenges on all fronts — a category dominated by two competitors who were outspending the U.S. Postal Service 7 to 1 in their marketing, a national economic meltdown, overall category declines, and less-than-favorable consumer perceptions — CE helped the U.S. Postal Service reclaim its share of the shipping business with a game-changing idea: flat rate shipping. If it fits, it ships — one low rate, anywhere in the country.

The integrated multimedia campaign, which included television, print, digital, and direct mail mediums, targeted business decision makers who ship more than three packages daily. Direct mail reached 1.4 million within this target, as well as 800,000 additional consumers.

KEY RESULTS:

Results were anything but flat and exceeded the very ambitious U.S. Postal Service marketing objectives on every level. The direct mail campaign performed 93% above projections and generated over 154,000 leads (nearly half of all campaign leads generated).
Awards Hat Trick: The “Simpler Way To Ship” campaign won top honors at the Ogilvy Awards, a Silver Effie, and the 2010 Media Plan of the Year Award in the $5M+ Integrated Campaign Category.