MINNEAPOLIS, MN — In his annual state of the business address to the mailing industry, Postmaster General and CEO Patrick R. Donahoe today said by effectively leveraging data and new technology, mail can be much more powerful and competitive than other marketing channels.

“Any company that needs to reach and retain customers should be using mail,” Donahoe told members of the  Postal Customer Council (PCC) during National PCC Week, an annual event that brings together thousands of mailers, industry partners and customers nationwide to recognize their contributions to the Postal Service and outline future plans and goals. “The more we can bring the mail and the digital experience together, the more opportunities we create for people to buy your product, or donate to your cause, or enhance your message.”

Donahoe asked them to focus on four key technologically changing areas for creating and using mail; to make it more personally relevant, more actionable, more functional and more creative. Some ideas Donahoe asked mailers to think about when creating mail pieces include:

• mail that allows people to use their smart devices to interact with it,
• personalized mail that receivers find engaging because it has individualized data about the user,
• mail that reduces the number of steps to make a purchase – like a postcard or catalog that allows the user to speed their purchase in one or two clicks, and
• mail that’s vibrant, colorful, and attention getting.

With the Postal Service at the core of the $800 billion mailing industry, Donahoe told PCCs the Postal Service provides a powerful marketing channel for America’s businesses and enormous value to the American public and American commerce.

National PCC Week also showcases the work of PCCs across the country and includes a series of awards recognizing outstanding service and individual achievement. The following award winners were announced:

PCC Industry Member of the Year:  GOLD
Adam Avrick – Long Island PCC
President, Design Distributors, Inc

PCC Industry Member of the Year:  SILVER
Mitchell (Mitch) Gound
Industry Co-Chair - Greater Atlanta PCC       
Pitney Bowes Presort Services
PCC Industry Member of the Year:  BRONZE
David A. H. Kinghorn – Tampa Bay PCC
Tampa Electric Company

PCC Postal Member of the Year:  GOLD
Dennis Guerin– Long Island PCC
Marketing Manager
Long Island District

PCC Postal Member of the Year:  SILVER
Karen Schott – Greater Oklahoma PCC
Marketing Manager
Dallas District

PCC Postal Member of the Year:  BRONZE
Ron Anderson – Greater Portland PCC
Customer Relations Coordinator
Portland District

Leadership Award for PCC of the Year (Large Market):  GOLD
Utah PCC

Leadership Award for PCC of the Year (Large Market):  SILVER
Long Island PCC

Leadership Award for PCC of the Year (Large Market):  BRONZE
Greater St. Louis PCC

Leadership Award for PCC of the Year (Small Market):  GOLD
Greater Hudson Valley PCC

Leadership Award for PCC of the Year (Small Market):  SILVER
Mid-Michigan PCC

District Manager of the Year:  GOLD
David Martin – Greater St. Louis PCC
District Manager – Gateway District

District Manager of the Year:  SILVER
Mr. Kim Anderson – Greater Portland PCC
District Manager – Portland District

District Manager of the Year:  BRONZE
Timothy R. Costello – Greater Birmingham PCC
District Manager – Alabama District

Leadership Award for PCC Innovation of the Year:  GOLD
Fairfield County, Connecticut PCC

Leadership Award for PCC Innovation of the Year:  SILVER
Central Missouri PCC

Leadership Award for PCC Innovation of the Year:  BRONZE
Tampa Bay PCC

Leadership Award for Communication Excellence:  GOLD
Greater Portland PCC

Leadership Award for Communication Excellence:  SILVER
Long Island PCC

Leadership Award for Communication Excellence:  BRONZE
Cincinnati PCC

Leadership Award for Education Excellence:  GOLD
Tampa Bay PCC

Leadership Award for Education Excellence:  SILVER
Greater Portland PCC

Leadership Award for Education Excellence:  BRONZE
Long Island PCC

More information on Postal Customer Councils and National PCC Week can be found at www.usps.com/pcc. To view the Postmaster General’s PCC Day video, or read a transcript, go to http://www.usps.com/PCC-Week.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation: 152 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With more than 31,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world's mail. If it were a private-sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 42nd in the 2012 Fortune 500. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for seven years and the fourth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.

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