For Immediate Release Mobile App - a Personal Touch in the Digital Space - Service available for both iphone and Android users - First Post-a-Card Sent Will Be Free Singapore, 31 July 2012 - Singapore Post Limited (SingPost) today launched its latest innovative service, Post-a-Card mobile application that brings back a more personal touch - the joy of receiving and holding an actual postcard, an unexpected memento of love or sharing of a great experience through the mail. To encourage the public to reconnect with personal mail, SingPost is giving the first Posta-Card free 1. Post-a-Card allows customers to snap a photo, add a personal message, and send it as a high-quality printed postcard conveniently from smartphones to anyone for any occasion. The 4 inch x 6 inch high quality glossy postcard is printed and delivered by SingPost to the addressee either in Singapore or anywhere in the world. The Post-a-Card mobile application can be downloaded free of charge from itunes App Store or Google Play. After the initial download, customers can access the postcard application anytime. It will cost S$1.90 per card if sent within Singapore, and S$2.50 if sent to anywhere else in the world. Customers can pay using credit cards, Pay Pal or prepaid credits. 1 For a limited period only. Page 1 of 6
Business Owner Mdm Mary Ku, 54 years old, said: Post-a-card is a lovely application and service. It brings back the warm feeling of receiving the real thing that is missing in today s digital age. It also helps facilitate love and romance. Our children do not know what the heart feels like when you are waiting for the postman to deliver that one special letter or card. A card is far more thoughtful and personal than a text message, an email or pressing a like in the Facebook. It not only can be kept, it also brings a smile to one s face when we look at it again and again. Mr Peter Hui, 25 years old and a graphic designer, stated: It is always touching to receive a personalised mail be it a letter or postcard. With Post-a-Card, it is easy to maintain that personal touch without the hassle of buying stamps, printing or looking for the posting box. In just seconds, I can snap, tap and send photo postcards to my family and friends from my phone. The physical postcard lends a human touch while offering another form of social sharing. It can also be displayed for all to see in the home or at work. It is a new way to stay in touch. Please refer to Annex 1 on how Post-a-Card works and Annex 2, the evolution of postcards. Post-a-Card Launch Party To thank customers for their support, SingPost will be organising a launch party. Entrance to the party is free for anyone who has downloaded the Post-a-Card app. Date : Saturday, 11 August 2012 Venue : The Butter Factory Time : 9pm to 11pm and party after Entrance : Free entry with Post-a-Card app downloaded RSVP : www.insurgence.sg/post-a-card by 12:00am, 8 August 2012 Post-a-Card Chain Contest To engage customers, SingPost will kick off a Post-a-Card chain contest from 11 August to 5 October 2012. Prizes will be given out for the following: a) Longest Chain of Sharing First sender of the longest chain of sharing will walk away with S$1,000 cash Ten lucky members of this longest chain of sharing will win S$50 cash each All members of this longest chain of sharing will receive one Post-a-Card credit Page 2 of 6
b) Top three Post-a-Card senders will each win S$300 cash. To find out more about Post-a-Card, visit www.post-a-card.com. - End - About Singapore Post Limited (Reg. No. 199201623M) Singapore Post Limited (SingPost) is a leading provider of mail, logistics and retail solutions in Singapore and the Asia Pacific region. It is the designated Public Postal Licensee (PPL) for Singapore providing domestic and international postal services as well as end-to-end mail solutions such as data printing, letter-shopping, delivery and mailroom management. As a logistics provider, SingPost offers domestic and international door-to-door delivery services, including express delivery (Speedpost) along with warehousing, fulfilment and distribution services. SingPost owns one of the largest retail distribution networks in Singapore with its extensive tri-channel network of post offices, Self-service Automated Machines (SAM) and the online shopping and shipping portal vpost. SingPost was listed on the Main Board of the SGX-ST on 13 May 2003. The company has won many awards and accolades. It is the only postal company in the world to have won the Express Mail Service (EMS) Cooperative Certification Gold Level Award by the Universal Postal Union for its Speedpost Worldwide Courier Service for 11 consecutive years since 2001. It was also named runners-up in the Most Transparent Company Award 2011 for the sixth consecutive year in the SIAS Investors Choice Awards. For more information, please visit www.singpost.com. ~~~~~~~~~~ For general information on SingPost, call 1605 or visit us at www.singpost.com Page 3 of 6
Annex 1 How Post-a-Card Works Using the Post-a-Card app is easy: First, download and install the free Post-a-Card app from the Apple itunes App Store (http://itunes.apple.com/in/app/post-a-card/id530061954?mt=8) or Google Play (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.singpost.postacard) Then, take a photo using your mobile phone s camera or select one from your photo gallery or Facebook album. Next, choose your postcard template, customise your message and add the delivery address. Finally, pay with your credit card, Pay Pal or prepaid credits. SingPost will then print your card and deliver it to your intended recipient in Singapore or overseas. Page 4 of 6
Annex 2 Postcards Postcards, as distinct from letters, were first used in Austria from around 1869, to provide a cheap means for brief communications. The first postcards were just plain cards, with the address to be written on one side and the message on the other, and could only be issued by the Post Office with a pre-printed 'stamp'. In 1894, the British postal authorities amended their regulations to allow private postcards to be despatched at the same inexpensive rate. This paved the way to the widespread introduction of illustrated postcards, and subsequently, photo postcards. Stationery Cards The Straits Settlements issued its first official postcards in 1879. These official postcards were blank cards with a stamp affixed. Messages can only be written on one side while the other side was reserved for the name and address of the recipient. For the next 15 years, these postcards enjoyed the special rate of 3 cents for international distribution, and only 1 cent for use within the Straits Settlements and the Malay States. Pictorial Postcards By 1897, in line with newly implemented British Postal practice, the Straits Settlements Postal Department began allowing the use of privately printed postcards at the same rates as official postcards. In 1898, privately printed pictorial postcards which depicted local scenes, people and special events of Singapore began to appear in the market, and they quickly gained popularity. The recipient s address had to be written on the back of the card and messages were restricted to the space left along the bottom or the side of the picture. Split Back Postcards As a member of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), the Straits Settlements Postal Department switched to the new split-back format along with other postal authorities in 1906. The new design allows messages and the address to be written on the back and images to fill the entire front of the card. The black and white images were spiced up with colour. Collecting postcards reached the height of its popularity from 1906 to 1913. This period is often referred to as the Golden Age of Postcards. Page 5 of 6
Photograph Postcards With the invention of the compact 35mm camera, real black and white photographs with postcard backs soon became very popular in 1920s and 1930s. Chrome cards were introduced in 1950s, getting its name from Ektachrome and Kodachrome positive slides invented by Kodak. Post-A-Card App With mobile devices gaining popularity in today s fast changing world, SingPost s latest mobile initiative, Post-a-Card, merges the old and new means of communication via the new mobile technology to create the personalised and warm touch. Post-a-Card, a new free mobile application on iphone and Android, allows consumers to send picture-perfect postcards from and to anywhere in the world from their smartphones, while SingPost prints and delivers the cards. Page 6 of 6