Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

Why not send a post card?
By Marisa de Silva
Thinking of sending a postcard to a friend? Nah. What if the postcards were free? Changed your mind? That’s what I thought. However, now the only problem would be in deciding which one to part with...
Could this in fact be the great revival of ‘Snail-Mail’?

Well it’s a yes and no actually. Mailman Lanka (Pvt) Ltd., is relatively new in town and seems to have flooded the city of Colombo with PostKards! Yes, you read it right, and no, I haven’t spelt it wrong. It’s the latest advertising medium in Sri Lanka and seems to be causing quite a sensation among the general public. But, wait… I think I’m getting a bit ahead of myself. Let’s go back to the very beginning of Mailman and how it came to be in Sri Lanka.

It all began in 1999, when a man named Kirk Jobsz founded Mailman Ltd. in China, an alternative media company, which specialises in advertising via creative and unconventional methods such as PostKards and Plakards. As of January this year, Mailman has put up shop in Sri Lanka and plans to create a new zenith in marketing.

The basic procedure Mailman follows with regards to their advertising campaigns is to obtain advertising messages from various companies (or jointly work on a specific message with their clients as Mailman too have their very own in-house designers) who wish to advertise via PostKards, get them printed and distribute them amongst their 140 venues around the city.

“We’ve found a very good local printer and thus, ensure a very high quality of printing, as it’s paramount to our line of business, that the printing be flawless,” he said. They hope to increase their number of venues to 200 before venturing out of Colombo to fulfil their objective of going islandwide eventually, said New Zealander, Jason Firmin – Managing Director of Mailman Sri Lanka.

So far Mailman has set up PostKard stands at various pubs, restaurants, gyms, salons and shops around Colombo. This enables patrons of these various places to walk up to one of these stands, select PostKards that catch their fancy or is advertising a brand or product that interests them, and take it home with them, no questions asked – free of charge. They can either keep it as a collectable or put a stamp on it and use it to fulfil its conventional purpose of ‘snail-mail’, added Mr. Firmin. Mailman Sri Lanka is also very sensitive to the preferences of venue owners, he said. Like for instance, if certain venues don’t serve liquor, they don’t advertise any alcoholic beverages at that venue. “We’re quite flexible that way and have worked around many venue owners’ likes and dislikes,” added Mr. Firmin.

Although, they’re called PostKards, they don’t have to be restricted to the regular postcard shape or size, says Sales and Marketing Manager, Dallas Martin. For instance, they’ve done cards in the shape of icy-chocs, mobile phones, cars, shoes and the likes, three-dimensional Postkards, Kards in the form of a jigsaw, fold-outs etc., said Dallas. Thus making their options limitless, stretching their use of creativity and imagination to its seams, he adds. “We can meet almost any customised requirement made by a client. As long as it fits into our stands, we can get it done,” he added. It’s like having mini Billboards in 140 locations around the city!

The concept of utilizing post cards as a form of media isn’t completely new, as it originated about 40-50 years ago in Denmark, said Mr. Firmin. However, it’s only of late that it’s become a popular mode of advertising in the Asian region and it’s sure to catch on fast in Sri Lanka too, he added.

So, the next time you’re out with your family or friends at your favourite hang-out or haunt, look out for Mailman’s free-of-charge PostKard stand. Who knows you might even pick up something that may wind up becoming your favourite brand!

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