WRITTEN ON July 13th, 2011 BY chris AND STORED IN General, Leaflet Distribution

Tags: door drop, panorama

Link Direct is deeply dismayed to read that the BBC has rejected our criticism of its Panorama programme ‘Why Hate Junk Mail’ in today’s Daily Post.

We have written to the BBC director general Mark Thompson, to complain about this fundamentally flawed programme which we believe discredited our industry and blurred the lines between advertising mail and scam mail. Critically even before addressing scam mail we believe the programme presented an appalling biased negative picture of junk mail – or advertising mail in more balanced language.  Only one voice from the Direct Marking Association was put forward to defend our industry while a raft of detractors were interviewed. Moreover Tom Heap, the presenter, as one of the country’s prime critics of unaddressed mail was the last person who should have been fronting a balanced investigation into our industry. His rhetoric and tone from the very outset of the programme was biased against our industry.

For the record the BBC has told today’s Daily Post: “The Direct Marketing Association was featured in the programme defending the industry.

“It said direct marketing was worth £16bn a year in sales, and provided a valuable service.

“Furthermore, it disputed the idea that items sent out by its members fell into the category of junk mail.”

The spokesman added: “ The programme made clear that the overwhelming majority of junk/direct mailers are legitimate.

“However, the damage done by criminal gangs based abroad targeting the vulnerable with scam mail and the ease with which the gangs exploit the Royal Mail’s Local Look service is a matter of grave concern and merited being brought to public attention.”

However we again ask where was the balance? Why were there not case studies of businesses or charities who use advertising mail to grow their firm or donations, pay their taxes, create jobs? Where were the consumers who benefit from unaddressed mail? We know 17m people responded to unaddressed mail last year – we are an important industry playing our part in helping the battered British economy. No recognition was given to this.

Moreover the BBC’s comment today fails to address our concerns about the dreadfully unbalanced environmental case put in the programme. Tom Heap as a specialist in this area really should at best know better and at worst feel embarrassed for such shameless scaremongering. The use of Cornwall Council as a case study presented a totally false picture of the industry. Cornwall is one of the worst councils in Britain for recycling hence why it was putting so much unaddressed mail waste into landfill. In fact the industry has made huge strides in recent years to improve its green record. Today 75pc of all advertising mail is recycled and since 2003 the volume of advertising mail being sent to landfill has plunged by 80pc, moreover advertising mail represents just 0.4pc of the average household’s waste.  Moreover the vast majority of leaflets are made from recycled paper already.

These critically important facts were scandalously absent from the programme. And without presenting or acknowledging these facts the programme is deeply and profoundly flawed and biased.

Furthermore the industry has actually moved on enormously with technology. This enables it to target leaflets much more accurately ensuring households receive mail relevant to their interests and tastes. This cuts down massively on the number of leaflets that need to be printed and therefore dramatically reduces waste.  But again the programme failed to properly acknowledge this.

We look forward to receiving a more considered detailed response from Mark Thompson than this feeble statement that fails to address our fundamental concerns.