Modern Postcard — Direct Mail Pioneer

MORE THAN a billion postcards have been printed there, yet none are what most people would think of as typical postcards. And, that’s because the postcards created, printed and mailed from Carlsbad, CA-based Modern Postcard are anything but typical.

Forget “Virginia is for lovers” and “My friends went to Hawaii, and all I got was this lousy postcard.” The “greetings” produced at Modern Postcard are literally mini masterpieces with a higher purpose than simply keeping in touch.

Each and every postcard reflects a passion for photography, quality imagery and/or color. From product debuts and grand opening news to artist exhibitions, whatever message the card is communicating, whatever product or service the postcard is promoting, chances are you’ll get the point. Better yet, chances are you’ll buy (or buy into) whatever the postcard is selling.

Creative Postcards Sell!

How can a postcard advertiser be so sure?

There are several reasons why direct mail advertising with postcards works (as explained in Modern Postcard’s booklet, “7 Simple Steps to Effective Direct Mail Advertising”). First, with no envelope to open, vibrant postcards cut through mailbox clutter and allow customers to see the message right away. As a direct mail format, postcards also offer the following benefits: They’re personal. They’re versatile. They’re high impact. They’re cost-effective. They’re measurable.

And, here are some other interesting facts (according to several studies, cited in the “7 Simple Steps”): Full-color products (color on both sides) increased response rates by 45 percent; the average consumer receives 25 direct mail pieces each week, but only one postcard; and 46 percent responded to direct mail advertising in the past 30 days.

Not mentioned in the booklet: Modern Postcard is THE catalyst in transforming this simple greeting card into a powerful and highly successful marketing tool.

What started as a one-man operation in a one-bedroom apartment has grown into a company at the forefront of the direct mail industry, generating about $50 million in annual sales. Modern Postcard has 300 employees located in a 75,000-square-foot facility.

Yes, the company has come a long way in its 31-year history.

In the mid-’70s, company founder Steve Hoffman, a photographer by trade, realized there was a need within the real estate industry to provide high-quality photography of properties on the market (especially in Southern California, where property/estates cost millions of dollars). Hoffman soon began creating custom brochures for his clients and, less than a year later, relocated his growing business into a small office building in San Diego.

Sixteen years later, Hoffman happened upon a partner who would take him and his business (called the Iris Group) in an entirely new direction. Jim Toya-Brown joined forces with his photographer friend and helped transform the economic downturn of 1993 into the chance of a lifetime.

While many businesses struggled to keep afloat in a recessed economy, the Iris Group launched a line of postcard products that offered small runs of high-quality cards at an affordable price. The success of this niche product led to a powerful spin-off with a new name—Modern Postcard.

Through the years, Modern Postcard has helped more than 250,000 customers grow their businesses. As its clients’ businesses grew, so, of course, did Modern Postcard’s.

According to Fred Hernandez, marketing communications manager, Modern Postcard has been experiencing double-digit annual growth (for several consecutive years), outpacing the rest of the direct mail industry.

“Between 5 percent and 7 percent of the total print market is direct mail,” he explains. “The built-in advantage of direct mail is the ability to track its success. Unlike other types of advertising, where it’s hard to measure success, direct mail allows you to see how well the campaign performed and gauge its results.”

Tracking the effectiveness of clients’ campaigns is one of the many services Modern Postcard offers. The company also assists customers in developing their own advertising/marketing message, developing direct marketing plans, building mailing lists, creating the high-impact postcard, identifying the best postal rate and discounts (first class, standard, etc.) and planning their next promotion. It even shows clients how to determine the ROI on their postcard advertisement.

Modern Postcard provides this entire gamut of direct mail marketing services for its clients, who currently number more than 50,000 nationwide. Incredibly, the company prints almost 500 million cards each year.

The majority of the firm’s clients are small businesses. “Small office/home office (known as SOHO) is our core business,” Hernandez says, “but we also serve larger companies and corporations.

“The backbone of our business—and our success—is the superior quality of our products,” he contends. “And that quality comes mainly from three things: the outstanding artists, designers and photographers who work here; our technology and equipment; and our mailing services.”

Hernandez believes the tools that drive success are the equipment and technology that the company employs.

“We have all-digital, closed-loop systems to manage quality and consistency,” Hernandez notes. “Our new four-color, Komori LS40SP Super Perfector with aqueous coating offers longer runs and operates at speeds up to 13,000 sph. The press produces 1,700 to 2,000 client jobs per week.”

Most of those jobs go to the mailing department, which is one of the highest-growth areas within the company. “It’s a testament to our growth that we’ve had to expand our plant for mailing operations,” reveals Hernandez. “We’ve experienced incredible growth by providing integrated mailing services for our clients.”

Aside from its offset printing capabilities, an HP Indigo digital press is launching the company into variable data printing.

“This is a new venture for Modern Postcard,” he says. “We bought an Indigo because we see variable data printing as an opportunity to make our customers more effective. We added this technology to provide more personalized and more relative content. We see variable data printing as the natural evolution of direct mail marketing.”

Business is booming for this innovative printer. As a pioneer in postcard printing/advertising, Modern Postcard changed the face of this niche market, transforming the typical postcard, “Wishing You Were Here,” into a powerful and profitable marketing tool.

Dynamic images, vibrant colors and personalized, meaningful messages—that is the postcard of today. That is the postcard of the future. And, that is Modern Postcard’s domain. PI