Change Review: PIP

The introduction of the PIP postage system has revolutionised shared mailing to schools - which accounts for about 40% of all the material reaching schools each week. And yet I fear many companies have not taken this on board - those who have rejected shared mailings in the past don't quite know what it has become, and those who have been doing shared in one way may not realised the opportunities available for change.

The biggest issue is weight.  Until the end of the last academic year weight played a big part in a shared mailing - with firms being charged extra the moment their leaflet went over 10g in most cases.  Now weight is far less of an issue.

Shared mailing organisers could respond in two ways.

• One way is to take on as many leaflets as they wish and put them in a single pack.   Each leaflet will make the organiser a lot more than the extra postage, and so suddenly larger packs will be more profitable - which was not always the case before. But the problem with this approach is that the school administrators really don't like packs that get bigger and bigger - they will accept 20 items in a pack, but by and large prefer 15.  Much over 20 (apart from the odd exception) and they won't distribute what's inside.Thus there may be reason for looking with some caution at this approach. 
  
  
• The alternative for shared mailing organisers is to make it more attractive to send out heavier items. In other words the number of items per pack will stay the same, but the weight limits are reduced. To me this is a very attractive proposition and one that I have suggested we implement with Hamilton House.  It means that one can send out an 8 page brochure for around 10p a school.  Of course it is still possible to send out single leaflets, but the brochure becomes an interesting alternative.

My message therefore is not to think in the old way of putting several items in a mailing at once, or maybe always going for the light weight, but instead to explore all opportunities and formats - particularly including the move from leaflets to brochures.  It could well be worth while.