Red Dot Campaign | Now Say NO to Junk Mail | Red Dot Campaign Press Release

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February 4, 2008
Red Dot Campaign Press Release

Red Dot Campaign reminds consumers to take advantage of Canada Post’s Consumer Choice Option to Refuse Junk Mail

Red Dot Campaign is Gaining Momentum Across Canada

CBC Radio Early edition – Rick Cluff plus local news Thursday
CBC TV Vancouver at Six & Vancouver at Eleven
CBC Newsworld cross Canada on Friday
Vancouver Metro cover story on Friday
London Free Press on Saturday
Halifax CBC early edition was played on Monday morning
CityTV Breakfast television is scheduled for Weds morning about 8am
Global TV newsclip – Nation Wide

25% of Canadians say they don’t read junk mail but only 9% of British Columbians, 5% of Canadians, have opted out

The Red Dot Campaign provides consumers with a simple action they can take to reduce carbon emissions. Simply by putting a signed letter in your mail box, and leaving a “No Admail Please” sign on your box, Canada Post will not deliver any unaddressed marketing material. And, if enough of us say No!, advertisers may take notice and find more environmentally-friendly ways to reach their customers.

Response to Date

Within 5 days of press coverage, the site had received over 8600 hits and over 1700 letters were downloaded for mailboxes.
Traffic has been coming from all across the country.

Who likes Junk Mail?

A recent Canadian Marketing Association Survey quoted in the Flyer Distribution Standards Association newsletter 1 notes that:

67% of Canadians are not interested in flyers and advertising that comes in the mail.
25% of Canadians discard them without reading.

How many BC Residents have already opted out?

In Vancouver, 8% of houses and 19% of apartments have already chosen to say NO to junk mail. Across BC, 7% of houses and 14% of apartments have opted out of Junk Mail. About 5% of Canadian households have opted out of junk mail.

We want the 25% of Vancouverites who don’t read junk mail to take action. Our plan is to spread the word through co-marketing and social networking building up to Earth Day. Phase I will target the green community. Phase 2 will target the ethnic community. Since 40% of Vancouver households do not have English as their primary language3, the material is even less relevant. Our results will be announced in early June.

The Red Dot Campaign was conceived by ecoeco, whose goal is to develop a business case to demonstrate how brand awareness can be achieved through social marketing. “I want to demonstrate a campaign that gives back to the community, raises brand awareness, develops a network of likeminded organizations for co-marketing, and engaging new clients in the process. By leveraging social networking, the message can reach a large audience in a short amount of time and at minimal cost. The other aspect of this campaign is that results can be measured through Canada Post’s website.”

What are the impacts to Canada Post?

“I applaud Canada Post for setting up a world-leading process where people can opt out of unaddressed admail. I believe Canada Post can position itself for the future where only addressed mail is allowed and Canada Post will be the only access to your mail slot.”

What about impacts to the print industry?

The print industry will also benefit in the transition from basic mass pieces to fewer more sophisticated (and higher value) personalized and relevant pieces targeted to an individual’s preferences. Pieces will be smaller to conserve paper, consist of eco-friendly print materials, and direct consumers to websites (even personalized urls) where they can access more information about the product or event.

About the Red Dot Campaign

The Red Dot Campaign is a social marketing venture conceived by ecoeco to develop a showcase marketing campaign that increases brand awareness while serving the greater good of the environment and community. Ecoeco (www.ecoeco.ca) helps companies find the win/win in their paper reduction strategies. Effective targeting saves money, saves trees, generates good PR and frees up valuable marketing dollars. The Red Dot’s talented Design team includes Vancouver-based boutique designers, Buddha Branding www.buddhabranding.ca and Squint Creative www.squintcreative.ca.

http://www.fdsa-canada.org/newsletter/december_2007.pdf
B. Ringdahl. Dec 2007. Calculated based on Consumer Choice / Household Counts .
Personal Communication, Alisa Choi-Darcy, President, Quote End Quote Cross Cultural Strategies