Back in December I covered the planned introduction of a new JICMAIL levy in a blog for ISBA members. I am delighted now to offer this update, as the levy has recently gone live for Royal Mail Door-to-Door customers in March, and is going live shortly, for Royal Mail, Retail and Wholesale advertising mail customers on 22 April.
This is an important moment for JICMAIL. As the not for profit, joint-industry-owned planning currency, we are opening up our data access across the industry through a transition to this new equitable funding model of the levy.
A reminder that the levy is set at 0.3% (equating to a fractional per item charge of £3 per £1000 of advertising mail postage expenditure) and for 2021, is capped at £5,000 for any levy payer. It is voluntary and for the typical advertiser spending c£50,000 on advertising mail, the levy will amount to a contribution of just £150 for access to a very significant industry research capability and resource. (Find more details on the levy here).
This means that data access is now open to all mail spenders, their intermediaries and agencies at no cost. There is a basic requirement for all subscribers to be accredited by JICMAIL which, in effect, simply assures them they will receive the necessary training (also free) to maximise the value and insight that can be extracted from the data.
This universal access to your gold standard industry research for mail supports the quest by all for improved marketing effectiveness.
A goal which has never been more important when faced with the challenges of coherent and systematic measurement in such a complex communications ecosystem at such a critical time.
Within this process, JICMAIL data and insight is objective, accepted, and independently run to the highest standards of governance that offers mail users, the essential standards of audience and item insight to take into their own measurement and performance frameworks and support their journeys to campaign effectiveness.
The importance of industry wide accepted metrics is reflected in ISBA’s own important cross media measurement initiative, Origin which seeks to provide a complimentary cross media fit around the existing JICs. The principle of developing more holistic joined up measurement and metrics across the industry silos is something at JICMAIL, we wholeheartedly encourage.
The changing patterns of media behaviour across the COVID era were vividly captured by our latest data release which revealed that mail is driving commercial impact with even greater efficiency from the campaign impressions generated. The chart below shows the year on year rise in commercial actions generated from mail (such as making a purchase, going online, visiting sender’s website etc.)
Such patterns would be invisible without JICMAIL data and right now at the time most needed, there is an exciting opportunity to encourage the value gains across the industry enabled by the transparent funding model of the new JICMAIL levy.
Three years into the JICMAIL journey, we know that once users feel equipped, confident and capable in using our powerful data, there is much value to be harvested and improvements to both the efficiency and effect from their mail activity beckon.
So, we look forward to supporting all ISBA members accessing JICMAIL as a key shared data source either directly, through your partners or, ideally, with both.
It will enable you to:
- understand what happens to mail in the homes of your customers and prospects providing detailed competitor insight
- understand how to improve the results generated from your investment in mail
- fit this core data standard for mail into your data systems supported by with tools for easy access
These benefits all ladder up to helping all mail users (large and small) plan and deliver more efficient and effective campaigns with the levy offering the fairest, equitable and transparent means to democratise the adoption of this data at best value for all. It represents we believe, a transformation offering new opportunity for value, timed to help during this extraordinary era we are all in.