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Washington D.C. Joins Ranks of Most Mail-Efficient Metro Areas
Santa Fe and Boulder Remain in Top Spots for Six Consecutive Months on MailStop Index
BERKELEY, CALIF. (September 19, 2012)—Catalog Choice—a TrustedID company and the nation’s largest mail preference service—has named the 20 most mail-efficient metro areas for the month of August 2012. Determined by the MailStop Index, the list ranks the communities that have opted out of the most unwanted advertising mail per capita and is published monthly at http://mailstopindex.catalogchoice.org/.
During the month of August, Washington D.C. debuted on the list and ranked as the twentieth most mail-efficient metro area. Baraboo, WI and Oak Harbor, WA joined the list in twelfth and eighteenth place, respectively. MailStop Index findings over the past six months have also revealed that Santa Fe, NM and Boulder, CO have ranked within the top three spots each month since the Index launched in March 2012.
“As all eyes turn to our nation’s capital in the final months of this election season, we’re excited to announce that Washington, D.C. is not only a political hotspot, but now ranked as one of the most mail-efficient metro areas in the country,” said Chuck Teller, Chief Strategy Officer, TrustedID. “We’re happy to see these communities taking the lead in consumer choice, with their residents taking back control of their mailboxes.”
The Most Mail-Efficient Metro Areas in August 2012:
1. Boulder, CO
2. Fort Collins, CO
3. Santa Fe, NM
4. Napa, CA
5. Seattle, WA
6. Ithaca, NY
7. Truckee, CA
8. San Francisco, CA
9. Bridgeport, CT
10. Edwards, CO
11. Austin, TX
12. Baraboo, WI
13. San Jose, CA
14. Boston, MA
15. Durham, NC
16. Hilton Head, SC
17. Portland, OR
18. Oak Harbor, WA
19. Ann Arbor, MI
20. Washington, DC
On average, each U.S. household receives over 720 pieces of advertising mail annually—46 percent of which is never read. It costs municipalities upwards of $1 billion to collect and dispose of the 10 billion pounds of solid waste created each year by direct advertising mail. During August 2012, these communities collectively opted out of enough company marketing lists to save more than 232,000 pounds of solid waste and over 1,500 trees annually.
MailStop Index Methodology
Using household figures from 2010 Census data for cities with populations greater than 50,000, the MailStop Index analyzes all of the opt-outs made in a Core Based Statistical Area (CBSA) through Catalog Choice’s services per capita. Defined by the Office of Management and Budget, CBSA is a U.S. geographic area defining metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas.
About Catalog Choice, a TrustedID company
Founded in 2007 to provide consumers greater control over the marketing materials that enter their mailboxes, Catalog Choice, a Trusted ID company, is the world’s largest preference and privacy portal. Since its launch, Catalog Choice has connected more than 1.5 million consumers with 4,200 direct marketing companies to process over 20 million suppression requests through free membership services, Catalog Choice for Communities partnerships and MailStop™ solutions—including MailStop Mobile, MailStop Envelopes and MailStop Shield. By reducing unwanted mail and phone books, Catalog Choice’s free and low-cost services reduce deforestation, greenhouse gases, solid waste and water consumption. Catalog Choice is part of TrustedID’s suite of services designed to protect consumer privacy, credit and identities. For more information, visit http://www.catalogchoice.org. Follow Catalog Choice on Facebook and Twitter.
