Office Depot Offers Direct-Mail Services; Appoints Diversity Officer

Zairmail today announced that it would power a direct mail service for Office Depot. The service, called Office Depot Express Direct, will be located on Office Depot's Web site and will be powered using mail-on-demand software and Internet infrastructure created by Zairmail.

It allows businesses to send targeted direct mail pieces such as letters, postcards or flyers at the push of a button. Direct mail is the most effective advertising medium available, returning $10 for every dollar spent, according to the Direct Marketing Association. Historically, it has been most commonly utilized by medium and large businesses that have the time and expertise to manage elaborate direct mail campaigns.

Zairmail, the first company to facilitate the convergence between the Internet and postal mail on a large scale, has been an innovator in bringing the advantages of direct mail to smaller businesses due to Zairmail's ability to send postal mail quickly and easily via the Internet. Office Depot Express Direct allows the company's small business customers to launch entire direct mail campaigns online. Now businesses can send hundreds or thousands of letters, postcards or flyers straight from their PC in just 15 minutes. This compares to the three weeks or more required by traditional direct mail processes. Zairmail's nationwide network of printing facilities ensures that the mail is printed and delivered to recipients in the fastest manner possible, often overnight

"Office Depot is pleased to offer Office Depot Express Direct, a cutting- edge service that enables our small business customers to conduct sophisticated mailings with a click of a button," said Monica Luechtefeld, exec vp of e-commerce. "The launch of Office Depot Express Direct on our Web site underscores our commitment to providing our small business customers with the tools and services they need to help them work smarter not harder. It's simple to use, but most of all extremely cost-effective."

"Office Depot is a terrific partner in bringing the power of direct mail to businesses of any size, even very small businesses," said Wilson Zehr, ceo of Zairmail. "Together we can demonstrate how traditional postal mail combined with the power of the Internet can be a fabulous marketing tool that is highly cost-effective for any business."

In other Office Depot news, the company announced the appointment of Samuel E. Mathis Jr. to the newly created position of vp of diversity. Mathis, formerly vp of diversity & community affairs of Darden Restaurants, will report directly to Jay Crosson, exec vp of human resources.