As a design + visual communications firm that still does quite a bit of print work, we tend to be very strategic in crafting direct mail strategies for our clients. We want to first ensure that the purpose of the piece will be accomplished by our creative work, meaning that our advertising objective is met and the consumer is motivated to act. We also want to be sure to avoid creating wasteful junk mail, because as you know, we believe in integrating sustainable choices into marketing programs.
That’s why a recent mailing I received from the Internal Revenue Service kind of threw me for a loop. Now I love getting mail from the IRS as much as the next guy, but I recently received a letter that had some good news. It was in my mailbox when I returned home on 6.15 and if I may paraphrase said something to the effect of:
Hi. You are going to be getting an economic stimulus payment of $x. You can expect it to arrive in your mailbox by 6.20. If you have any questions, give us a holler. Ok, bye.
Now, I’m not saying there wasn’t a reason for this mailer. But was there? I seriously could have waited another five days without hearing from the IRS, especially since I had been waiting since early May-ish for the check to arrive. Five more days wouldn’t have upset me one bit.
To add insult to injury, 6.20 came and went and still no stimulus check! Had I not received the letter in the first place I wouldn’t have anticipated it to come then – go figure! So it makes me wonder even more whether or not this was a smart direct mail strategy on the part of the US Government.
According to sources, as many as 116,000,000 checks will be mailed out – which means that it’s possible that 116,000,000 extra pieces of mail will have been sent out letting folks know their check is a few days away. I wonder how many trees could have been saved? And fuel in mail trucks? And taxpayer dollars?
Just food for thought…But I’d love to hear what you all think. I’m guessing that if there’s any sort of explanation, it’s probably that there’s a law somewhere that says the Federal Government has to notify folks that a refund is coming their way.
If you’d like to read more about junk mail and the fight to rid the world of it – go here: 
http://www.donotmail.org.
Garret Ohm
http://www.orange-element.com
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Very curious. Nice analysis.
Perhaps the answer is the IRS is trying to mitigate costs from (a) consumers calling in asking “when will I get it” and (b) consumers who throw the check out when it arrives, thinking it is junk mail.
I bet a lot of checks are misplaced. If it costs the government $0.20 to contact you in advance to say “heads up, check is coming,” and that avoids a $20 customer service call later as you call in trying to find your check, the economics probably work out.
Except for all those poor trees
The government doesn’t seem to grasp the concept of the word “deficit”