With InMijnBus, Spotta introduces a digital YES sticker that will accelerate the sustainability and effectiveness of advertising leaflets due to its convenience and additional usage features.
Compared to the current letterbox sticker, InMijnBus makes it easier for households to say YES or NO to the leaflet package. Up to 15% of households indicate in surveys that they would like to use a sticker (GfK on behalf of MailDB, 2021), but find it too much trouble to put one up or find a sticker on their letterbox ugly (GfK on behalf of Milieu Centraal, 2020). With InMijnBus, these objections will be eliminated, resulting in fewer unread leaflets in the waste paper. If the 15% of Dutch households use their NEE sticker on InMijnBus, 21 million kilos of paper will be saved in the Netherlands every year. This will also make a positive contribution to the VANG targets.
InMijnBus is an initiative of Spotta, who deliver around 90% of the advertising leaflets in the Netherlands. With InMijnBus, Spotta meets the challenge of its advertisers to achieve the same results with fewer leaflets. By making it easier for citizens to set their mailbox to YES or NO with InMijnBus, Spotta contributes to this. Through InMijnBus, Spotta also makes it possible for households to put together their own personal package of leaflets, containing only the advertising leaflets that they would like to read. InMijnBus also allows you to temporarily stop receiving the leaflet, e.g. when you are on vacation. All this results in fewer unread leaflets in the waste paper stream and a higher effective reach at lower costs for the advertiser. Efficiency and sustainability go hand in hand.
Advertising leaflets exist by the grace of consumer desirability and advertiser impact. The effect for the advertiser is still good, but the desirability for the consumer has changed under the influence of increased awareness of sustainability. InMijnBus makes it easier for households to adjust their preferences (even temporarily). As a result, fewer unread leaflets end up in the waste paper basket.
Advertising leaflets are only effective for the advertiser if they are actually read by people. In marketing terms, this is known as effective reach. InMijnBus will ensure that a higher proportion of leaflets are read by the recipients, because it will be easier to (temporarily) adjust the preference for receiving the Spotta leaflet package. This will enable entrepreneurs to inform and activate their (potential) customers to come to their shops at a lower cost. This strengthens the business climate and helps to prevent shop vacancies.
70% of households wishing to receive advertising leaflets read them to stay up-to-speed of special offers (GfK commissioned by Milieu Centraal, 2020). 53% of households read leaflets in order to save money (GfK commissioned by MailDB, 2021) and 22% of households indictate the need for advertising leaflets to make ends meet financially (GfK commissioned by MailDB, 2021). InMijnBus ensures households requiring weekly advertising leaflets will continue receiving them.
On InMijnBus, a household can put together its own personal leaflet package. This is not possible with the physical letterbox stickers. And with the digital YES sticker, we always have the most accurate insight into the number of leaflets that need to be printed. The Netherlands is the first country in the world with a digital YES sticker.
Advertising Code
The Code for the Distribution of Unaddressed Printed Advertisements is one of 22 specific codes of conduct promoted by the Advertising Code Committee. Within the nationwide availability of letterbox stickers, the Code for the Distribution of Unaddressed Printed Advertisements covers the banning of advertising leaflets and/or door-to-door newspapers, implementation, complaints handling, and a sanctions policy. Please see https://www.reclamecode.nl/nrc.
Code VOR and InMijnBus
InMijnBus is separate from Code VOR; the letterbox stickers also cover door-to-door newspapers and this sector has indicated that it does not want to join InMijnBus for the time being. Other deliverers of leaflets will also continue to deliver according to the current letterbox sticker system.
Digital YES sticker
With InMijnBus, Spotta is introducing a digital YES sticker for the leaflet package, which makes a greater contribution to sustainability than the physical YES sticker due to its convenience and additional uses.
Privacy
InMijnBus privacy aspects
When setting the preference on InMijnBus, based on the AVG basis 'execution of agreement', the preference to receive or not to receive the Spotta leaflet package will be recorded. The occupants of an address remain unknown when the preference is set on InMijnBus. Only the preferences of an address are recorded. One mobile phone number per household can also be stored for security purposes, but only if the user gives permission. This minimises and limits the processing of personal data as referred to in the AVG as much as possible. Residents are simply not known to InMijnBus and will not be. Only the address is processed and no further or other data that can be traced back to a natural person.
Implementation
Complaints
Spotta's existing complaints procedure is also accessible via InMijnBus. The complaints procedure under the VOR code's letterbox sticker no longer applies to InMijnBus, as InMijnBus is not part of this advertising code.
Environmental impact
Fewer unread leaflets in the recycling bin
Based on market research, it is expected that up to 15% of households will affix a digital sticker, as with InMijnBus, the main objections against using a physical sticker are dispelled. 15% equates to a saving of approximately 21 million kg of paper, based on 2021 distribution volumes. This statistic doesn't take into account the impact of the new temporary pause on advertising leaflet delivery options, for instance, during renovation works, during festive seasons, or the holidays.
Exact print run predictions
Via InMijnBus, advertisers and publishers know exactly how many advertising leaflets have to be printed. Currently, erring on the side of caution, up to 10% extra material may be published that ends up unread, somewhere in the waste paper chain.
Less raw material and energy wastage
The aim of InMijnBus is to minimise the number of advertising leaflets that end up unread in the recycling bin. Besides saving on paper it also saves on printing ink, energy and transport.
The importance of door-to-door marketing
Municipal information
Municipalities grasp, as no other, the impact of door-to-door marketing: letters about road closures, local activities or events, electoral rolls, etc. This 'government' communication remains outside the scope of the Code for the Distribution of Unaddressed Printed Advertisements.
Businesses
For businesses, door-to-door marketing remains crucial in the media mix, in incentivising consumers to come to their shop, use their services, order meals, or visit an event.
Consumers
70% of households wishing to receive advertising leaflets read them to stay up-to-speed on special offers (GfK commissioned by Milieu Centraal, 2020). 53% of households read leaflets in order to save money (GfK commissioned by MailDB, 2021) and 22% of households indicate the need for advertising leaflets to make ends meet financially (GfK commissioned by MailDB, 2021).
Deliverers
InMijnBus has been developed in cooperation with our deliverer's so that they can correctly and carefully implement the delivery preferences of each household in their delivery area. Spotta has around 21,000 delivery drivers in the Netherlands who deliver door-to-door advertisements and newspapers: mostly a first job for young people, but also for many older people as a supplement to their AOW pension and as a sideline for people who have dropped out of the labour market. Deliverers are paid at least the minimum wage through the "Delivery Standard for leaflets and door-to-door newspapers", a ministerial regulation for the sector. This was developed by the industry organisation MailDB and the Association of Weekly Newspaper Distributors together with the employees' organisation FNV Media and Culture and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment. To give a clear picture of the changes for deliverer, Spotta has developed a video. The video can be viewed at www.inmijnbus.nl/bezorgen.
Future developments
Buy locally
The InMijnBus platform gives householders more choice rather than 'all or nothing', which is the case with the current letterbox sticker. One next step could, for instance, be for householders who presently do not wish to receive advertising leaflets to show their interest in receiving leaflets from the local baker, butcher, restaurant, bookshop, upcoming events, etc.
Everything on InMijnBus
Spotta is open to expanding InMijnBus with other parties to become the online place where a household can manage preferences for all letterbox access. That's why it already looks neutral.
The NNP publishers have indicated that they are not in favour of this initiative for the time being. We respect their views.
Yes, you can. But possibly the introduction of InMijnBus in your municipality can already help achieve VANG targets.
The current system (Code VOR) will be maintained. InMijnBus will be added because Spotta and its advertisers want to accelerate on effectiveness and sustainability.
Distributor Spotta will continue to comply with the municipal regulation unless a household has indicated a different preference on InMijnBus. Spotta will then deliver according to the preference on InMijnBus.
No, you can't. Only households can adjust their own preference.
Yes, this is possible. Everyone is free to encourage households to set receiving Spotta's leaflet package on InMijnBus to YES or NO.
Yes, Spotta will provide this aggregated data at residence level upon request.
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