Stamp collectors have existed
almost as long as stamps have. How
long? According to The American Philatelic Society,
more than 175 years: ever since Britain issued the first postage stamp, the “Penny
Black,” on May 6, 1840.
What makes stamps so attractive to
collectors? How did stamps and stamp
collecting become such a success? This
month, we’ll look at four lessons marketers can learn from the history and art
of stamp collecting, starting with…
Make more than a product.
Occasionally, the
U.S. Postal Service creates what it calls a “semipostal” stamp. These slightly more expensive “fundraising
stamps,” as they’re also known, provide customers with something they need--a
stamp--and something more universal and impactful--a donation to a good cause.
The Breast Cancer Research stamp was the first such
stamp. Issued on July 29, 1998, the
stamp’s sales help fund both the National Institutes of Health and the Medical
Research Program at the Department of Defense.
As of December 2014, the stamp has raised more than $80 million for
breast cancer research.
The Postal Service’s other currently available semipostal
stamp, the Save Vanishing Species stamp, was issued on September 30, 2011. The USPS’s fourth semipostal stamp, it has
raised more than $2.6 million for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to support
the Multinational Species Conservation Funds.
The lesson? Think
outside of your box: beyond your office, your building, your industrial park. Creating a campaign, product, service, or
offer that promotes awareness and support of a particular cause not only makes
you feel good, but it also makes your customers feel good. It creates hope for those affected by your chosen
issue and better relationships between you and your market.
Now that’s something worth collecting.
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