Postology Report: Harte-Hanks.com

Postal issues are understandably top of mind for today’s direct mailers and keeping up with
changes is important to being compliant and getting the most for postal dollars. In an effort to
continually improve our service, Harte-Hanks provides the Postology Report. This quarterly
report is designed to keep you informed of the latest postal happenings and the impact
of these changes on your business.

If you'd like to see a specific topic covered, or want to express an opinion on something
shared here, please contact Charley Howard, Vice President of Postal Affairs, at
charley_howard@harte-hanks.com.

Thanks for your continued interest!

In this Issue:

USPS Offers Two Incentives for 2011

Incentive #1:
2011 Saturation/High Density Standard Mail^® Incentive Program

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has announced an incentive program for mailers of Saturation and High Density letters and flats...

Incentive #2:
Reply Rides Free Program

Reply Rides Free encourages the inclusion of marketing messages in bill and statement mailings and payment of bills using the mail. For qualifying customers, a 1.2-ounce piece is charged the 1-ounce price if a reply envelope or card is included in the mailing...

Changes in Store for Folded Self-Mailers (FSMs)

This is a preliminary feedback from the USPS to test participants on the proposed guidelines for FSMs. They are far more complex than current rules and far more restrictive on size. There were very few samples outside the proposed guidelines which may be viewed...

Odds and Ends

Is Your Postage Going to be
Accurate January 2, 2011?

That question may seem alarming and it should be. The USPS is going ahead with plans to use the new postage forms that were based upon their Exigent Rate filing that was rejected by the PRC...

What Will Cause Loss of IMb-Full Service Discount on January 2, 2011?

USPS vice president of business mail entry and payment technologies, Pritha Mehra, confirmed to Mailers’ Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) that the USPS will not take away Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb) Full-Service discounts in January 2011 for mailings that do not meet the container association requirements in their electronic documentation (eDoc)...

Jack Potter, USPS Postmaster General/CEO, Retires December 3.

We have a new Post Master General and CEO of the USPS named Pat Donahoe. On December 3, 2010, Jack Potter retired. He served nine years as Postmaster General/CEO of the USPS.

Is It a Bail-Out or a Just Return of Funds?

Here is a sampling of industry news
from across the nation:

According to Direct Marketing News, "American voters sent a clear message about government spending last month when they voted in a new House of Representatives...

In a recent report, the Institute for the Research on the Economics of Taxation has written: "The U.S. Postal Service currently provides a small number of nonpostal government services, such as accepting passport applications, offering Selective Service registration forms, and renting excess space to other government agencies...

Advertising Age has reported that "According to BDO's Retail Compass Survey, 63% of chief marketing officers said this year's holiday budget was flat, compared to 55% in 2009 and 43% in 2008...

The Washington Post has reported that "Bowing to growing budget concerns and months of Republican political pressure on federal pay and benefits, President Obama today announced he would stop pay increases for most of the two million people who work for the federal government...

Dead Tree Edition has told its readers that "High costs that outweigh any postage discounts and poorly trained Postal Service employees are keeping most business mailers from using Full Service Intelligent Mail barcodes, an extensive study concludes...

Workday Minnesota has reported that "One of the nation’s three postal unions, the Rural Letter Carriers, said it would head for mandatory arbitration after talks with the U.S. Postal Service broke down November 15. Meanwhile, another, the Postal Workers Union extended the talks until December 1 in hopes of reaching a new contract."

The Boston Globe has reported that "The Republican, Representative Darrell Issa of California, who will take over as chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has said the government needs “to go on a diet’’...