FIRST-CLASS MAIL OUTPERFORMS ELECTRONIC MEDIA

The vast majority (90%) of marketing and financial executives agree that First-Class Mail generally outperforms other media for communicating information and carrying out transactions, according to a new survey conducted by the Opinion Research Corp. The study was commissioned by PaperCom, a consortium of communications and messaging organizations and companies.

Results of the recently completed (fourth quarter, 1996) study indicate that the rapid advancements of electronic communications and information exchange, have done little to erode the perceived value of First-Class Mail. In head-to-head comparisons with other media such as Fax, E-mail, EDI, EFT and broadcast/print, both marketing and financial executives gave high marks to First-Class Mail for its convenience and "interpersonal" value. They also consider it timely enough for all but the most urgent communications.

In terms of convenience, only the telephone was rated equal with First-Class Mail. And, marketing and financial executives appreciate the universality of mail — they can send information anywhere, to anyone, at a low cost. They also concur that a written message, especially one containing complex information, can be better understood, and has less of a chance of being misinterpreted by a recipient than other media. Moreover, executives feel secure knowing they have copies of their messages.

Nearly six out of ten marketing executives believe First-Class Mail fosters closer business relationships. They feel recipients appreciate the time and care it takes to craft a business letter, and that translates into a favorable image for the sender. In evaluating facsimile use, marketing executives rated it high for convenience and "contact accuracy," meaning they are confident their messages will reach the right person. Overnight/Second-day courier service and the telephone have similar, but lesser value for them. E-mail and Standard Mail (formerly known as Third-Class Mail) rate lowest in the survey in perceived value. For instance, 91% of marketing executives prefer First-Class Mail to Third-Class Mail for urgent communications, and 90% believe First-Class Mail implies important information is being conveyed. E-mail rates poorly among marketing executives as a communications medium, especially in the critical area of building relationships, and most say it’s inappropriate for sending original materials.

Financial executives also rate First-Class Mail highly for many of the same reasons — convenience, cost-effectiveness, and relationship-building. However, with a greater value placed on timely delivery and contact accuracy, financial executives ranked Faxes and Overnight/Second-day courier services as the top of communications vehicles. Financial executives did say, however, that First-Class Mail remains a viable method for the bulk of routine communications such as invoices and payments, and they even rated it about the same in value for this purpose as EFT/EDI. As was the case with marketing executives, E-mail again had the lowest perceived value for financial executives, except when it is used to deliver urgent messages.

In conducting the survey, Opinion Research Corp. interviewed 758 marketing and 758 financial executives from small, medium and large firms. These respondents were selected from wholesale, retail, financial services, service companies, and government agencies.

For more information on the Opinion Research Corp./PaperCom study, "Mail & New Media: A Determination of Value", please call Scott Tangney at (212) 684-6300, ext. 313.