1          The last Direct Mail Advisory Board (DMAB) Assembly meeting was held on 2 November here in Berne, Switzerland. The theme was "Convergence", and the aim was to show trends and practical cases of the effective use of direct mail in conjunction with other media, including digital media. The presentations are available on the DMAB pages of the UPU website, at http://www.upu.int/dmab/en/ (under "DMAB conference presentations").

2          One of the presentations was given by Patricia Vivas, Addressing Assistant Manager at the UPU International Bureau. Among other addressing issues related to direct mail development, she introduced a new campaign, "Addressing the World – An Address for Everyone", aimed at providing everyone in the world with an address, so as to enable communication among and between people, government institutions administrations and businesses. This initiative involves several United Nations agencies, intergovernmental organizations and other interested parties, such as academia, non-profit organizations, development banks and businesses. The DMAB supports this initiative, and looks forward to collaborating in all its phases.

3          Another interesting presentation focused on the results of the study on transpromotional mail in Europe, which the DMAB also supported. Participants in the DMAB Assembly meeting received a summary with the main results of this research conducted by InfoTrends in collaboration with Xplor, which is a DMAB member.

4          We have just released the latest results of the DMAB survey on DM products and services provided by designated postal operators. The latest results (2007–2009), plus the background and a useful glossary are also available on the DMAB pages of the UPU website, at http://www.upu.int/dmab/en/ (under "Survey on direct mail products and services").

5          Going east, we have learned that Japan Post established a subsidiary last year, JP Media Direct. The objective of the company is to foster secure, convenient and efficient direct promotion in Japan, by providing companies with information that will enable them to optimize their approach to consumers. JP Media Direct provides direct media services, such as addressed and unaddressed direct mail, as well as direct promotion support services for campaigns and fulfilment. The contact person is Ms Rie Shimizu, e-mail shimizu.r@jp-md.co.jp.

6          International Post Corporation (IPC), which is also a member of the DMAB, recently published a paper discussing strategic perspectives on direct mail in Asia, which contains some very interesting information. It is freely available on IPC's website, http://www.ipc.be, under "more publications".

7          During the last US DMA Conference in San Diego, the Winterberry Group, a consultancy based in the United States, made a comprehensive presentation entitled "Outlook 2010: First Look at What to Expect in Direct & Digital Marketing". It is available on the Group's website, at http://www.winterberrygroup.com.

8          We wish you a happy and productive 2010, and look forward to being in touch next year!

9          The DMAB is a group of designated postal operators and industry organizations, including private companies. Its mission is to "foster the growth of direct mail as a factor of economic and market expansion by increasing market knowledge and by developing the expertise of stakeholders at all levels". If you are not yet a DMAB member and wish to work with the UPU to accomplish the DMAB mission, you can apply for membership – for more information, including the DMAB Rules of Procedure, fees and the application form, please check our website: http://www.upu.int/dmab/en/. All applications must be approved by the DMAB Assembly upon recommendation by the DMAB Steering Committee, before membership can become effective.

10      If you are new to the DMAB Update, or if you are a long-term subscriber who has missed a few issues, may we point out that past DMAB Updates are regularly posted on our website, in English and in French. For the English versions, go to http://www.upu.int/dmab/en/news.shtml.

For more information about the DMAB, feel free to contact:

Ms Raquel Ferrari

Programme Manager

Direct Mail and Stakeholder Relations

Tel: +41 31 350 35 34

Fax: +41 31 351 02 66

E-mail: raquel.ferrari@upu.int

Ms Abby Bossart

Assistant Project Manager, Direct Mail

Tel: +41 31 350 35 93

Fax: +41 31 351 02 66

E-mail: abby.bossart@upu.int