Summer 2012

Summer 2012

Please contact our team with any questions or inquiries

Tim Burgess David Graunke A.J. Jania Alan Jania Michael Jania Susan Jania Karen Johns-Wrobel Gina Moore Debbie Peterson Julie Shauman Sandra Vahl Tony Waters

Summer 2012 Edition

Diamond News is a publication of Diamond Envelope Corporation published in our main office in Aurora, Illinois and is available to our Employees, Vendors and Customers. We welcome any comments or article suggestions. Please send them to our editors. Debbie Peterson debbiep@diamondenvelope.com Joy Bailey joyb@diamondenvelope.com DIAMOND ENVELOPE CORPORATION 2270 White Oak Circle Aurora, IL 60502 Phone: 630-499-2800 Fax: 630-499-2801 www.diamondenvelope.com Thank you to this editions contributors: Joy Bailey, Alan Jania, A.J. Jania, Michael Jania, Debbie Peterson, David Graunke and Linda Wilk

NEWSLETTER

Summer 2012

Summer 2012

Letter from the President

Recently one of our loyal clients from the southern area of the United States sent me an article that appeared in the DIXIE DIVAS written by bestselling author, Ronda Rich. The article concerned itself with the health of the United States Postal Service. She stated in the article that most Americans are guilty of thinking that the United States Postal Service is funded by taxpayer dollars. This is not the real case. The USPS functions financially independently of the government from its own stream of revenue. It is a well known fact that revenue is down for the USPS. As a result, a proposal is out to reduce our current six days a week mail delivery. Everyone would suffer if the USPS loses Saturday delivery because the mail will accumulate and bills could be delivered late. What is her solution? Write more letters and email less. She noted letters she kept from her mother that she reads periodically and which have become very meaningful to her. She noted that not one child would lovingly print out an email and save it for years, but they certainly do so with letters. Her point was this; we can bring love, family, history, gratitude and cheer to others and at the same time save the postal service, so pick up a pen or sit at your keyboard and get busy writing. As I finished reading the article I could not help but think about the last time I received a letter in the mailbox from a distant family member or long time friend. The immediate excitement from seeing the address label and the anticipation of what I was about to read. I can honestly say I have never felt that way about an email message! I wondered if others thought this same way so I went to comScore 2012 survey and found the following. 052.4 percent of U.S. consumers say they read direct mail and 53 percent of the 52.4 percent find this direct mail useful. 096.7 percent of U.S. consumers like personalized direct mail and 100 percent like personalized letters in their mailboxes. Maybe it is time to write somebody

PAPER because

paper because
bringing in the mail is one of the few things we still all have in common.

Ninety eight percent of people bring in their mail the day it is delivered, and 77% sort through it immediately. Learn more at paperbecause.com and learn more about your neighbors by talking to them around the mailbox.

Pardon our Dust?

We are re-vamping and updating our website. Please stop by our site in late July for our new reveal!

SM

Alan Jania

Summer 2012

Summer 2012

Sustainability and Diamond Envelope Corporation

For the customer that is looking for proof of environmentally conscientious purchases of paper products from sustainably managed sources, Diamond Envelope Corporation is your answer. Diamond Envelope Corporation is SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative) and FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified. SFI and FSC Certifications are credible forest certification programs designed to provide proof that the paper is from sustainably managed sources. SFI and FSC are independent, not-for-profit charitable organizations. These certifications require Diamond to be annually audited by a rigorous, third party auditor.

Using the Mail...

Last fall I was asked to do a career day presentation for my daughter, Graces, third grade class. Being the entrepreneur that I always try to be, I wanted my presentation to be something the kids had fun with and would remember. I know, I make envelopes for a living, whats fun about that... I started out with a brief explanation of our company and that we make over a billion envelopes a year. I went on to say how we bring in large rolls of paper and cut, fold, glue and print until the end result is an envelope. I showed them samples of envelopes we have made for Disney, Nickelodeon, numerous kids magazines and other name brand products that kids are used to seeing every day. Knowing the attention span was short; I talked for about two minutes before I let the kids have some fun. Each child was given a die-cut piece of colored paper that was a #10 diagonal seam envelope (before it was folded down). I asked the children to get out a glue stick and then 31 third graders and I folded down and glued an envelope together into what was in most cases, a useable envelope. I cannot begin to describe how much fun the kids had doing this and the amazement on their faces when they took this odd shaped piece of paper and turned it into an envelope. Next, I showed them how to address the envelope to themselves. I had no idea how difficult this task would be with a bunch of third graders, but somehow we got through it. Lastly, I gave the children a stamp and I showed them where to apply it on the envelope. The kids turned their self-made envelopes into me and I told them to watch their mailbox for the next few days and that their envelope would show up at their house. The rest of the year I heard back from the students and the parents about how much the kids liked the presentation and how excited everyone was when they received their own envelope in the mail. It really made me think about how nice it is to get something in the mail. Maybe next time youre going to type a quick e-mail or text and hit send, maybe taking an extra few minutes to write your note or letter and then mail it, might just make your message have more impact or sentiment when it is received.

Diamond Envelope Corporation

Michael Jania michael@diamondenvelope.com

Summer 2012

Summer 2012

E-mail Addresses Can Be Weapons By: Byron Acohido USA TODAY

In the past four months, caches of customer e-mail addresses, not banking and credit information, have become the key target of data thieves. The goal: Use the legitimate e-mail addresses and the specific companies their owners have business relationships with to get people to buy worthless goods or to infect their PCs. The recent theft of potentially tens of millions of consumer e-mail addresses from online marketing firm Epsilon followed a spate of similar hacks in December, USA TODAY research shows. Web marketing and cybersecurity experts say there are several ways cybercriminals can make profitable use of the stolen e-mail addresses. Just like legit advertisers, criminals can correlate a persons demographics and shopping patterns and use that to their advantage, says Thomas Jelneck, President of Internet Marketing firm On Target Web Solutions. The Better Business Bureau, for instance, has issued a warning about a fake Chase Bank e-mail stemming from the undisclosed number of e-mail addresses that hackers stole from Epsilon. The security breach was disclosed last week. Some 50 Epsilon clients were affected, ranging from Chase Bank and Verizon to Hilton and Target. Those companies, in turn, have been sending e-mail warnings to their respective customers. Loren Spallina, Support Manager at anti-virus maker PC Tools, says, Were definitely expecting any number of potential malicious actions making use of recently stolen e-mail addresses. Dallas based Epsilon is part of a cottage industry of companies that help major businesses use e-mail to offer promotions and special services to customers. Chenxi Wang, Security and Risk Analyst at Forrester Research, says data thieves are taking advantage of the comparatively immature data security practices of those marketing companies. In late December, Honda reported a hacker stole e-mail addresses to 2.2 million Honda owners and 2.7 million Acura owners. Also in December, data thieves stole 13 million e-mail addresses from the artists website DevianArt, 1/3 million e-mail addresses from Gawker Media and an undisclosed number from McDonalds. By connecting names and e-mail addresses with information about where a person banks and shops, criminals can more effectively bypass spam and anti-virus filters and fine-tune phishing attacks with spoofed messages designed to trick you into clicking a viral attachment or poisoned Web link. The intruder then takes full control of the victims PC. The No. 1 attack vector today is the human, says Jose Granado, Principal at Ernst & Youngs information security practice. A.J. Jania aj@diamondenvelope.com

8 Tips for Direct Mail Success:

1.0Consider your audience: Think about who will be reading your piece(s) and how it will affect your design. What is important to this audience? Ultimately, buying decisions are either the product of a fear of loss or a hope for gain. Identify these variables and incorporate them in to your message. 2.0Personalize: Variable data is a great technology that allows you to communicate on a one-to-one basis with your audience. Combining this with enhanced data provides you with a powerful, targeted message, based on the audiences location, marital status, home ownership and many other variables. 3.0Work the Envelope! Go beyond a plain envelope to something that will not only be noticed in the mail, but also opened. Incorporate the items in number 2 as much as possible to compel a response. Dont waste the opportunity to communicate directly to them! 4.0Make sure they can easily respond. Consider options for both the technologically adept and those who are less savvy. Utilize handheld devices and user-friendly web pages to drive interest in your products and services. 5.0Piece size matters! If you want to stand out in the mailbox, perhaps an oversized envelope or even something smaller than standard is the way to go. 6.0Paper stock is important. Utilizing various colors and finishes gives your audience a different feel to the envelope. It may be the difference between being open or placed in the trash can! 7.0Use bold headlines--but not too much. Your audience has gotten smart about direct mail piece headlines, so you need something relevant and brief. Work with a direct marketing copywriter to build this concise message on the front of the envelope. 8.0This one seems obvious, but strive to be different. Dont be afraid to get a little creative. We can help you with postal regulations that allow you to stretch the envelope and become very creative in the mail. Remember, the envelope is the first thing your audience will see. Make it work hard for you and your message. Contact your Diamond Envelope representative for more information, or to help with your next direct marketing program.
David Graunke davidg@diamondenvelope.com