News Releases

Print this Article

Some fetching results from Canada Post

Feb. 14, 2005

Only 10 days after Canada Post launched its pilot of fetch^OM, the company is already seeing results that are surpassing targets. In the first two weeks of the pilot, more than 2,000 people have registered with fetch and more than 3,000 "fetches" have been processed.

"We're very pleased with these early results," says Warren Tomlin, Canada Post's director of Marketing and Product Development and co-inventor of fetch. "These numbers would suggest that Calgary has quickly embraced the idea of being able to take advantage of special offers and incentives without fear of generating unwanted advertising or messages."

Rick Broadhead, one of the Canada's leading technology experts and authors added that he is not surprised by the early results. "When I first heard about fetch, I knew the privacy and immediacy aspects of the service would appeal to both consumers and advertisers. These early results would seem to support fetch's appeal and future potential."

Canadians are bombarded with more than 3,500 commercial messages in the course of their day - radio jingles, transit ads, email, direct mail, billboards, etc. This over abundance of messaging can often become overwhelming and intrusive as consumers are added to countless marketing lists. fetch gives Calgarians the opportunity to instantly respond to various marketing initiatives, or request additional information about a product or service, knowing their privacy will remain protected - even from the advertisers they are approaching.

To request more information about the product or service advertised, or to participate in a special offer, consumers simply look for the fetch keyword (adjacent to the fetch symbol) and call 1-877-FETCH-03 (1-877-338-2403) or text the defined keyword to FETCH (33824) using the text messaging feature on their mobile phone. Registering as a fetch user via the fetch website guarantees an even faster response.

Twelve Calgary businesses (Shoppers Drug Mart, Safeway, Telus, Domino's Pizza, Royal Lepage Benchmark, Royal Lepage Pinnacle, Royal Lepage Foothills, H&R Block, Whiskey Nightclub, Mynt Ultralounge, CitiFinancial, Pointe of View Development) are participating in the fetch pilot. At the end of the pilot program (end of March) all results will be evaluated and the future of fetch discussed at Canada Post.

For further information, contact:
Cindy Daoust, Ottawa, Ontario
(613) 734-4258