‘Junk Mail’ May Be Last Hope for Saving the USPS

In financial trouble that has it on the brink of default, the U.S. Postal Service is making an aggressive appeal to catalogers and other advertisers to ramp up their mailings. The theory is that their revenue can make up for steep declines in first-class consumer and business mail that has migrated online.

The Postal Service is seeking to make direct mailing friendlier in hopes of luring more revenue by reaching out to new users. At present, only about 22 percent of businesses use direct mail. A new Post Office program targeting small businesses called “Every Door Direct Mail” allows marketers to