George

How come there are AOL CDs on the counters at the U.S. Post Offices? It would appear that commercial promos are now allowed on federal property---so does that mean that individuals can also market their enterprises? How do I arrange for display space on the counters of the USPS?

Thanks.
Gretchen Knight (electronic mail, June 23, 2003)

We found this question sufficiently intriguing to forward her inquiry to the U.S. Postal Service. Here is their (inadequate) response.

Response (Ronaldia) - 09/11/2003 12:51 PM
Thank you for visiting our website. VISA and America On-line (AOL) are the first of broad-ranging efforts to leverage the wealth of Postal Service physical assets in co-branded advertising. With 38,000 postal facilities, a fleet of more than 200,000 vehicles, at least 250,000 collection boxes, and hundreds of millions of envelopes and packages, the Postal Service offers almost unlimited advertising-space prospects. Program expansion through our Postal Ad Network will be done carefully and in accordance with our Commercial Advertising Policy that provides a roadmap and boundaries to protect our brand and mitigate our risks. We won’t accept advertising that is indecent or obscene. We will not accept advertising for a product or service that competes with ours. And, we will not accept advertising that is political or religious in nature. The two co-branding campaigns earned us high visibility, positive comments from consumers, and generated additional revenues to support our goal of affordability. Thank you for giving us a chance to respond. (usps@custhelp.com, via electronic mail)

Further inquiries have been made. Why is AOL not a competitor? It would seem that email is a huge threat to first class mail. And can Gretchen advertise her enterprise in the Post Office? Anyway, we'll keep you posted.