YouTube, Meet the Postal Service

U.S. Postal Service Delivers New Message to New Audience

WASHINGTON, DC — “A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty hi-yo Silver! Return with us now to the thrilling days of yesteryear …”

… when Postal Service products and services were promoted through traditional media channels.

Today marks a new chapter for the U.S. Postal Service, as the 236-year-old institution steps boldly into the next generation with the release of “Mark of the Eagle,” four, direct-to-Internet webisodes that put a new twist on an honorable tradition.

The Postal Service still delivers. No matter what.

“Mark of the Eagle” was written, directed, filmed, edited and produced in-house, leveraging the time and talents of Postal Service personnel. It builds on a print campaign, “Rethink Your Shipping,” that challenges customers to take a new look at Priority Mail, Express Mail and ground packages as economical and dependable delivery options.

The twist: Nothing comes between the Postal letter carrier and the safe, secure appointment of his or her rounds. Especially not techno-savvy machines and office equipment that come alive during one very long day at the office. And it’s a Monday. It has to happen on a Monday.

The curious may log on to www.markoftheeagle.com weekly for the next four weeks to view the latest installment of what may be an epic battle. A RSS feed will alert the audience of the latest posting, segments will be available for downloading at the iTunes store and podcasts are available for subscribers. Nashville-based Magnetic Dreams created the website.

The webisodes were shot in high definition and the machines shown were recycled from existing Postal Service stock. Green screen work was completed at Postal Service headquarters.

Of course, there is a somewhat traditional message at the end of each webisode, advising viewers to click over to usps.com for a more complete listing of Postal Service products and services.

The series already has won four Telly awards for corporate image, entertainment, special effects and use of music, and the CINE Golden Eagle Award in the “non-telecast professional new media” division.

But, just like the office workers in “Mark of the Eagle,” the Postal Service doesn’t give up hope in giving a new generation of customers that mail still matters. In fact, a recent CommScore study shows that 87 percent of “Gen Y/Gen X” bring in their mail the day it’s delivered and 73 percent of them have used coupons received in the mail.

To view portions of “Mark of the Eagle,” please visit http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/usps/34512/