Saks Fifth Avenue Unveils Shoppers' Destination

Marketing ‘ZIP Code,’ Customized Postage Integral Pieces of Ad Campaign

NEW YORK — When Saks Fifth Avenue wanted to send a message about customer service and quality products, the international, high-end retail store turned to the U.S. Postal Service.

Saks today celebrated the grand opening of its expanded New York designer shoe salon that now fills the entire eighth floor of the Manhattan store. The new space, “10022-SHOE,” will hold a place in marketing history as the first retail floor to brand its location as a literal shopping destination.

Saks is using a unique “ZIP Code” in a multi-channel advertising campaign that includes direct mail and customized postage. While 10022 is the correct ZIP Code for the store, the additional four letters are part of an ad campaign and not used in the delivery of the mail to that location.

Building on the campaign’s message that the new shoe floor is so big it has its own “ZIP Code,” customers will be able to send a postcard marking their visit. The postcard contains one of about a dozen branded, customized postage designs Saks has produced featuring artwork from top shoe designers. Stamps.com is the Postal Service-licensed vendor providing the customized postage for Saks.

The Postal Service received no financial consideration from Saks for the marketing campaign, said Anita Bizzotto, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, but is proud to be associated with the retailer.

“We are delighted that Saks Fifth Avenue used a symbol of performance and service to help launch such an innovative campaign,” Bizzotto said.

Customized postage allows a customer to personalize postage with pictures or images using Customized PC Postage® technology. Customized postage has two parts: a customer-supplied image and a state-of-the-art bar code. All customized postage is compatible with the Postal Service’s automated mail processing systems.

PC Postage® is not a stamp and the use of customized postage does not affect the Postal Service’s production or commitment to postage stamps.

“You can customize postage, but you can’t customize a ZIP Code,” Bizzotto said, explaining that the Postal Service currently has no plans to consider adding letters or words to ZIP Codes.

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Please Note: Select customized postage images Saks is using in its marketing campaign are available by contacting joanne.m.veto@usps.gov or calling (202) 268-3118. For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/news.

An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation, 146 million homes and businesses, six days a week. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products, and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $73 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.

Saks Fifth Avenue, one of the world’s pre-eminent specialty retailers, is renowned for its superlative American and international designer collections, its expertly edited assorted of handbags, shoes, jewelry, cosmetics and home furnishings and the first-rate expertise and exemplary client service of its Associates. Today, Saks operates 54 full-time stores in 25 states, two stores in the Middle East in Dubai and Riyadh, 50 Off 5th outlet stores and saks.com, the company’s online store.