Peter W. Bombassaro, Manager, Business Customer Relations, U.S.P.S., Boston, MA (left of the white pad) speaks before gatherers at the Town Meeting. The person in front of the white pad is Nancy Harhut, President, NEDMA.

Notes from the Town Meeting:

Between Oct 22 and Oct 26, The DMA interviewed a broad cross-section of direct marketers. They then released a white paper on Monday, Oct. 29.
Highlights include:

" Few of those direct marketers surveyed report any additional impact from anthrax concerns.

" 92% have no intention at present of altering current prospect and customer/donor mailings.

" None of the executives interviewed indicated having received more than a handful of consumer inquiries regarding safety and anthrax.

" DM industry leaders believe we need to distinguish between the actual scope of anthrax-related events and the public media-generated perception of them.

" The direct mail sector represents a $582 billion segment of the US economy.

" USPS delivers 280 billion pieces of mail/year (680 million pieces/day), of which only a handful of letters has so far been confirmed with anthrax.

" These known letters are recognizably different in appearance from typical direct mail items. (ex: handwritten vs. professionally produced).

" Overall, the most recent developments in the war against bio-terrorism appear NOT to have appreciably hurt the DM industry.

" DMA estimates anthrax scare will cost DM industry between $1 and 2 million.

" Despite the slower economy, the events of 9/11 and the anthrax problem, DM continues to grow, but at a slower than usual pace.

" American marketers are expected to spend $196 billion on DR advertising this year, a 3.6% increase over last year, but only about half the annual growth the industrys experienced over the past 5 years.


DMA 84th Annual Conference: Keynoter FORMER President George Bush said it would be highly unlikely that a widespread bioterror campaign would be conducted through the mail.

He also said Every American has an obligation to stand up to these cowards (the bioterrorists). We just cannot give up.
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DMA had Opinion Research Corporation poll 1000 consumers during the weekend beginning Oct. 26...
Question: Have the recent incidents involving anthrax and the US mail affected the way you approach the advertising mail you receive?

" 58% said theyve not made any significant changes in the way they handle their mail.

" 14% said they open advertising mail but examine it more closely

" 24% said they open only mail from advertisers that they are familiar with

According to the USPS (Postal Inspector Paul Trimbur, program mgr. of the mail theft and violent crimes group):

" 1400 inspectors are working on the anthrax case.

" Theres a $1 million reward out there.

" Hoaxes are subject to fines up to $50,000.

" The USPS said it will spend $40 million on mail sanitization equipment that kills all bacteria, not just anthrax.

" Irradiation machines will arrive first in DC in early November. Initial focus will be on suspicious mail not direct mail. Pieces will carry an indication that theyve been through the process.

" Direct mail is the safest of all mail.

" Most direct mail does not go through the same processing machinery as personal mail. Because its cancelled, bar-coded and sorted at the mailhouse, it can go directly to delivery units, bypassing most postal handling. (Mail in the standard postal stream goes into a collection box and then through sorting equipment at the P.O. cancellation machine, bar code machine, etc.)

" Its estimated that you need to be exposed to 10,000 spores for anthrax to be effective. No one letter could pick up that much simply going through sorting equipment.

" The post office has been delivering mail for 275 years.


Changes to the look and type of direct mail consumers may likely see:

" More colorful, printed envelopes as opposed to plain ones. Mailings that look professional and mass- produced.

" Clearly visible company name and return address.

" 800 # or web address on OE

" More postcards and selfmailers instead of envelopes.

" More see-through envelopes.

" Clearly relevant messages on the outside. Less intriguing copy (ie: Time dated. Open immediately), more straightforward, meaningful copy. No mystery about whats inside.

" Window OEs will have glassine, not just be open. Fewer die-cuts.

" Increased eforts made to have correct spellings of names, correct addresses.


Questions for your mailhouse:

" What are you doing to guard the premises? (Key pass security? Logging in entrances and exits?)

" How are your employees screened? Whats the average tenure of your employees? How are temporary employees screened?

" What security do you have at the shipping dock? Must all deliveries be scheduled? Does someone approve the shipping manifest?

" How long do mailings sit in the warehouse? What security measures are there? Is the facility ISO 9002 approved?

" Is the video surveillance in the facility monitored?

" How have you stepped up security?


Additional info

An Oct. 30 NY Times article quoted health officials as saying average Americans have little to fear from their mail.

In fact, the post office confirmed that direct mail is the safest of all mail.

A recent Opinion Research Corporation survey showed that 72% of consumers polled & either had not made any changes in the way they handle their mail & or they continue to open advertising mail but examine it more closely

People are doing what theyve been asked to do, which is use common sense.

At a press conference Tuesday at the DMA, catalogers said response seems to be holding its own -- October sales have held up despite the anthrax scare.

The DMA predicts direct marketing will grow 3.6% this year over last.

The general feeling in the direct marketing industry, as reported in the NY Times, Direct Magazine, and various other publications, is that direct marketing is not going away.