Federal Manager's Daily Report

The U.S. Postal Service is more than an agency, it is also a brand that has value in the marketplace that could be better leveraged, according to a white paper by the Postal Service IG.

Attributes of the postal brand include reliability, convenience, value, and tradition, it said.

“Where the Postal Service differs from many other businesses and organizations is in the management of its brand: To get the most financial value out of their brands, successful firms treat them like other assets and carefully measure and monitor them. Brand valuation is an important management tool used to do this. But while the Postal Service has worked to enhance some of its brand attributes, it has never conducted a formal brand valuation,” the report said.

Working with a consulting firm, the IG estimated that value at $3.6 billion; in effect, that means the Postal Service would forego that much in future cash flows if it had no discernable brand and was just a generic delivery company.

Ways to enhance the value of the brand include aggressively responding to inaccurate “doomsday” reports and predictions about its future, involving employees in implementing brand strategies, and expanding licensing activities, it said.