New media marketing for postal services

In the UK the Royal Mail is giving customers the opportunity to personalise stamps with their own pictures. For about fifteen pounds you get 20 stamps with your own design to celebrate for any special occasion, marriage, birth or birthday. The service is call “Smilers” and of course is available online, thanks to a technology developed by Proximity London (news via Brand Republic).
Also in The Netherlands the local postal service (TPG Post) has recently launched a weblog dedicated to stamps collectors. On Postzegelblog.nl (in Dutch) users can find news and information on the new stamps on the market. The weblog has no clear business plan at the moment, the idea is just to appeal potential stamps collectors and evolve accordingly.

Last but not least, again from The Netherlands, we have the example of Postbank that recently launched a customer service number for Skype subscribers. Of course, the phone call is free.