STAY FOCUSED

STAY FOCUSED

DISTRACTED DRIVING IS LEADING CAUSE OF MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS

According to a report issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, driver distraction is the leading cause of motor vehicle crashes. In nearly 80 percent of accidents and 65 percent of near-crashes, driver inattention occurred within 3 seconds before the crash.

Distracted driving is any non-driving activity that has the potential to distract a person from the primary task of driving, increasing the risk of an accident. Distracted driving activities include eating, drinking, reading, reaching for mail or parcels, or operating electronic devices.

Any of these activities can lead to a serious accident. Drivers who use a mobile device to send text messages are 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash or near-miss event.

“The primary responsibility of a USPS driver is to operate a motor vehicle safely,” said Deborah Giannoni-Jackson, vice president, Employee Resource Management. “In some circumstances, even a second or two can make all the difference in being able to avoid a crash.”

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NEW FLAT-RATE BOX AD CAMPAIGN

NEW FLAT-RATE BOX AD CAMPAIGN

ANIMATED AD FEATURES DISNEY*PIXAR’S ‘TOY STORY 3’ CHARACTERS

“Toy Story 3” Priority Mail Flat Rate Box ad.

Secure the area, Sheriff Woody. The Postal Service is playing in the “Toy Story” world.

Some of the characters in the Disney*Pixar movie franchise “Toy Story” and Al — the letter carrier seen nationally and online touting the virtues of Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes — are appearing together in an animated advertisement, in a direct mail campaign, on usps.com and in Post Offices.

Al appears as himself. But this time, he shares top billing with a second letter carrier named Hamm, a familiar animated piggy bank voiced by John Ratzenberger, who taps into his role as postal worker Cliff Clavin of “Cheers” fame.

The new commercial is the newest in a series that began almost a year ago. This latest chapter in the Priority Mail Flat Rate Box advertising campaign includes several additional features that also incorporate the “Toy Story 3” association:

• Beginning Monday, business and residential customers of the DISH satellite TV service can use their converters to order a free Priority Mail Flat Rate Box kit during the commercial. Customers also can order the kit online at the DISH website.
• USPS has launched a direct mail campaign to 4 million businesses promoting the Priority Mail Flat Rate Box service and featuring the “Toy Story 3” characters. The campaign includes an e-mail blast to 1.4 million large and small concerns.
• “Toy Story 3” characters also are appearing on usps.com with banners and other content.
• The “Toy Story 3” characters will be featured in posters and displays in 12,000 Post Office lobbies.

Susan Plonkey, acting president, Mailing and Shipping Services, says the Postal Service’s association with Disney*Pixar builds on the notion of USPS as an American institution. “We’re proud to be associated with Disney*Pixar in promoting our flat-rate box services,” she said. “Our benefits are universally recognized, and the relationship established with the animated characters that are so popular with the American public reinforces the reliability and popularity of the USPS brand.”

“Toy Story 3” opens in movie theaters June 18.

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SUPER SLEUTH

In its May issue, Homeland Security Today features a report from the front lines of Afghanistan of a brilliant American counterintelligence officer who has “gone native” and is able to elicit information in remarkable ways.

In the article “Super Sleuth,” Godfrey Garner, PhD, a retired Special Forces officer currently in Afghanistan, provides a vivid and striking story of an American counterintelligence officer who has mastered the languages and skills necessary to interrogate without the use of force and obtain information vital to the security of our troops in Afghanistan.

According to Garner, “He does all this without violence, without torture, without duress other than that produced by the clash of intellects. Instead, he wields his astonishingly intimate knowledge of the culture, language and history around him—and he employs very human values: respect for Afghan beliefs and faith, an understanding of Afghan lives and sympathy for their dignity as human beings.”

“Godfrey Garner’s portrait of this extraordinary American intelligence officer is in the best tradition of Sherlock Holmes or James Bond—but it has the advantage of being true” said Editor David Silverberg. “And I’m glad he’s on the job.”

SOURCE-HSTODAY..

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CELEBR-ASIAN

USPS RECOGNIZED FOR SUPPORT OF ASIAN PACIFIC COMMUNITY

From left, Rupert Warner, USPS Supplier Diversity Team; Susan Au Allen, USPAACC National President and CEO; and Carlos Rudas, USPS National Diversity Initiatives.

The Postal Service last month received a “Plaque of Recognition” at the U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce’s (USPAACC) 25th Anniversary Business Opportunity Conference. USPS was recognized as a “stalwart supporter and partner.”

This annual event — designed for the Asian American community — is the largest business opportunity conference of its kind in the United States. More than 800 participants attended, including USPS, along with other large corporations, federal government agencies and Asian American-owned businesses.

USPAACC helps generate business opportunities for Asian Pacific Americans and their partners with corporations, the federal government and the minority small business community. The organization represents varied ethnic groups, including Americans who trace their ancestry to China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Mongolia.

At the conference, the Postal Service educated suppliers on how to do business with USPS and the opportunities for business growth with the Postal Service.

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SHARING THE BEST

SHARING THE BEST

USPS COMPARES SUSTAINABILITY NOTES WITH PRIVATE SECTOR

Seventeen regional, national and global organizations from the Pacific Northwest, including the Postal Service, met recently at the University of Washington (UW) for the Pacific Northwest Sustainability Roundtable. The day-long event — co-sponsored by USPS, UW, Costco and Starbucks — offered area companies the opportunity to share their sustainability achievements and best practices, while providing a forum to network and discuss common challenges.

“Many companies were not aware of what USPS has accomplished in the sustainability arena", said Seattle District Manager, Shipping and Mailing Solutions, Nick Coleman. “This was a perfect opportunity to learn more about our customers and to provide them with insight into our commitment to sustainability leadership, thereby building our credibility.”

Coleman says the Seattle Sales team is conducting follow-up meetings to pursue sustainable shipping and mailing business with them. “This was the first such seminar, but we hope to make it a semi-annual event hosted by other participants,” he added.

Keynote speakers at the event included USPS Vice President, Sustainability, Sam Pulcrano and Acting President, Mailing and Shipping Services, Susan Plonkey. Seattle District Manager Katherine Nash also participated.

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GROWING SALES, GROWING VOLUME

GROWING SALES, GROWING VOLUME

APPLICANTS FOR 2010 SUMMER SALE UP FROM LAST YEAR

Bob Daberkow is vice president of a Florida-based fulfillment and catalog company. He’s also a fan of the Postal Service’s Summer Sale.

His company participated in the 2009 event, and he’s applied to participate in this year’s event. The application deadline was May 28.

Daberkow said the postage rebate program encouraged him to mail his catalogs to a number of lists he might otherwise have ignored. He also said the 2010 Summer Sale “will lead us to expand our mailing efforts on all four of our brands in an effort to grow our businesses again this year.”

Daberkow is just one example why the number of applicants to this year’s Summer Sale has grown. Applicants in 2009 numbered 1,200. This year, 1,478 mailers applied.

The 2010 event is scheduled to run July 1 to Sept. 30. The incentive program offers a 30 percent rebate to eligible mailers for Standard Mail letters and flats volume above a predetermined threshold — 5 percent over each mailer’s volume for the same period in 2009.

To be eligible to participate, a company must have mailed at least 350,000 Standard Mail letters or flats between July 1 and Sept. 30, 2009.

USPS currently is reviewing the applications to make sure mailers meet the requirements to participate. The Postal Service expects the program to generate up to 1 billion new mailpieces during the sale period.

The 2010 Summer Sale is a component of a broader pricing strategy that creates incentives to grow and retain mail volume.

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