When you walk in a casino, chances are, you are going to walk out with less money than you came in with. (How else could they offer all-you-can-eat crab legs?) Maybe you’ve heard the term, the house always wins. That is because casinos play the ‘house advantage’ by mathematically determining favorable odds to ensure they win almost every time. They have dealers, who are being watched by their pit boss, who are being watched by their floor manager, who are being watched by the casino manager, who are all being watched by the cameras, just to ensure that advantage is not lost.

Except, what would happen if the casino wanted you to win? And to give you a better chance, they had their staff analyze your hand and give you tips to get the most for your budget. Then if you didn’t get the return you had set out for, they would refund a portion of your money.

While direct mail marketing is not a gamble by any stretch of the imagination, the USPS has begun guaranteeing the effectiveness of integrating direct mail into marketing campaigns, by offering a postage-back assurance program.

The program is available to companies who send 500,000 to 1 million first class pieces a year and have a $25 million marketing budget. Before launching the campaign the USPS will work you to create the most effective campaign possible and will set mutually agreed upon results. If those results are not met, they will refund up to $250,000 of postage costs.

While we understand most companies do not qualify for this program, it is still good news for you. This program shows that the USPS is making efforts to continue growing direct mail volume, which will keep the price of postage down and keep it viable.

At Kopytek, we see this program as one of many steps that are contributing to direct mail’s recent growth and resurgence. If you are interested in marketing, give us a call at Kopytek. We can take the guessing out of the equation and give you the ‘house advantage.’