Miami-Dade County PCC Earns Gold

Recently, Postal Customer Council members across the country attended their annual premier Fall event on "National PCC Day" (expanded to "National PCC Week" this year).  And for the third consecutive year, a record number of PCCs were named PCC Premier award winners in each of the three categories:  Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Of the 93 awards earned in 2012, 18 were Bronze, six were Silver, and 69 PCCs --- including the Miami-Dade County Postal Customer Council ---achieved Gold status!

On "National PCC Day," USPS Co-Chairperson Scott Bower (Miami Officer-In-Charge) and Industry Co-Chairperson Susan Reed (FPL supervisor) welcomed 60 mailers and USPS participants.  USPS South Florida District Manager Jeffrey Becker introduced Giselle E. Valera, USPS Vice President and Managing Director, Global Business, who spoke on  the important role of the PCC partnership in the success of the Postal Service.
During PCC Week, Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe and a team of USPS officers and executives visited more than 100 local Postal Customer Councils.  The executive team told PCC members the mail continues to be vital to the American economy and is successfully meeting the challenges of a changing marketplace.  

“Changes in technology are enabling greater opportunities for integrated marketing,” Donahoe told a meeting of the Atlanta, GA, PCC. “The real power comes when mail is combined with other channels for reaching customers, especially when integrated with digital channels.”

The convergence of mail and digital technology begins with the mail’s appeal. Chief Marketing and Sales Officer Nagisa Manabe said direct mail likely will be 15-20 percent of all marketing dollars next year, because it works. “Most people at least look at the envelope to see what they got,” she said. “Many people open that envelope, and that’s the defining difference with direct mail, something that we should believe in.”

USPS is not standing still, waiting for integrated marketing to happen. It’s pushing the envelope when it comes to innovative ideas. “We’re a catalyst for growth,” said Domestic Products VP Gary Reblin. USPS this year has created new products and promotions that are increasing use of the mail. This summer’s Mobile Commerce and Personalization promotion, for example, generated more than 620 million mail pieces in just two weeks.

Intelligent Mail is the technology supporting this kind of volume growth. Jim Cochrane, Product Information VP, says Intelligent Mail isn’t just about tracking — it’s about information. If a company knows its catalogs will arrive at customer homes the morning of a certain date, it can send its customers an email offering a discount if they buy that same day. “We’re building systems that’ll better provision data to our customers,” says Cochrane.

Mailers are the ultimate beneficiaries of integrated marketing, and the Postal Service wants their help to make the future a reality. Donahoe said PCC members can be advocates for the Postal Service as it moves into the future. “The PCC network is incredibly important,” he said. “By working closely together, we can shape a strong future based on growth and leveraging new technologies.”
The Broward County PCC and PCC of the Palm Beaches held individual events celebrating the PCC partnership between the USPS and local businesses as well. 
Special thanks to South Florida's Customer Relations Coordinators --- Briggett Glinton (Miami-Dade), Tashia Romano-Kravitz (Broward), and LuAnn Warner (Palm Beaches) --- for organizing PCC Day programs.