Acceptable Items for Personalized Mail (Addressed Admail)
Advertisers may fully personalize their promotional messages by tailoring the entire content of the mail item to the recipient, however, to qualify as Personalized Mail (Addressed Admail), the item must be promotional and uniform in content.
What is Promotional Mail?
The intent of the mailing must be to motivate an individual to buy, acquire or use a product or service, or contribute to or support a cause.
To qualify as Personalized Mail (Addressed Admail) a mailing must be consistent with the definition of Personalized Mail (Addressed Admail). Specifically mailable items, bearing a uniform message, that:
- promote the sale or use of products or services;
- report on financial performance, primarily for promotional purposes; or
- solicit donations or contributions.
What is a Uniform Message?
The theme of the mailing must be uniform. The mail items must have the same specific purpose and the same specific goal. Examples of acceptable items*:
- Items with the intent to promote a product or a service
- Promotional catalogues
- Promotional newsletters (exception: paid subscriptions)
- Items with the intent to solicit donations or contributions
- Annual reports
- Publication subscription renewal notices
- Promotional CDs
- Promotional samples**
- Promotional items
*This list of examples is not meant to be exhaustive.
**Samples are defined as trial-size items or full-size specimens intended to indicate the nature of the product.
Unacceptable Items
To be eligible for posting as Personalized Mail (Addressed Admail), the items mailed must meet the criteria specified for Personalized Mail (Addressed Admail) and must be prepared for mailing in such a manner as to prevent loss or damage to any item and permit easy examination of each item.
Examples of unacceptable items*:
- Fulfillment of products or services (exception: promotional catalogues)
- Invoices
- Updates to professional handbooks
- Fulfillment of paid subscriptions
- Recall notices
- Renewal notices (exception: publication subscriptions)
- Fulfillment, replacement or renewal of cards, e.g., credit, membership, etc.
- Voter notification
- Opinion and market research surveys
- Notification of price changes
- Government identification cards
- Receipts
- Medical identification cards
- Transaction records
- Tax forms
- Proxies
- Prohibited or dangerous goods
Also in this section:
- Personalized Mail (Addressed Admail) – Is It For Me?
- Personalized Mail (Addressed Admail) Features
- Personalized Mail (Addressed Admail) Format Guide
To avoid surprises and to save money, we highly recommend that you contact us before you undertake any mailing campaign. We are confident we can save you money and make your mailing a success – just take a look at what our clients say about our service and dedication.
Additional references from Canada Post:
- Personalized Mail (Addressed Admail) – Overview
- Personalized Mail (Addressed Admail) Machineable Mail Preparation Guide
- Personalized Mail (Addressed Admail) – Machineable Mail Design Guide
- Personalized Mail (Addressed Admail) – 2017 Pricing
- Canada Post 2017 Business Services Pricing