Address Point
An Post
Issue 53 | December 2019
Agency
JWT Folk, Dublin
Creative Team
Creative Partner: Karl Waters Creative Director: Keith Lawler Creative Technologist: Ed Leamy Senior Creative: Donal O’Higgins
Production Team
Producer: Eric Brindley Production Company: Bold Puppy Productions
Other Credits
CEO: Abi Moran Managing Director: Enda Kelly Senior Strategic Planner: Eimear Fitzmaurice Senior Account Manager: Simon Killeen
Date
April 2019
Background
Homeless figures in Ireland were at their largest ever, topping 10,000 people.
Beyond not having a home, when people are homeless, they have no address. This means a lack of access to basic human requirements, including employment, social services, health care and education.
Idea
To tackle this problem An Post created the Address Point service. The way it worked was homeless people went online, registered their names and the names of a Post Office where they could collect their mail, and were immediately given a fake address. To collect their post from their nominated Post Office all they needed was some photo ID. If they moved to a new location, they could go online and generate a new address.
When they registered, a unique identifying code was generated. This alerted the postal system to make sure all mail for that person was kept at their nominated Post Office until they collected it.
This free service meant homeless people could apply for jobs, could apply for rent allowances from social services, could even get places for their children in schools.
Results
Address Point was endorsed by every national homeless service in Ireland. The launch generated interest around the world earning 220 million media impressions.
Other postal services around the world have taken an interest.
Between the launch of the initiative in April and October 2019, over one third of Ireland’s homeless population has signed up and used the service.
Our Thoughts
We weren’t sure which section of Directory this idea belongs to. Outdoor and ambient? Innovation? In the end we put it in Direct Mail because it is a reminder of how fundamental mail is to the proper functioning of societies. Without an address, you exist in a Catch-22 conundrum. You can’t apply to be housed if you don’t have a home. You can’t have a bank account so you can’t receive benefits. And when people do need to get in touch (the courts, the healthcare services) they don’t know where to reach you.
We have talked a lot about brand purpose in this issue but unlike most brands, which cast around for purpose, An Post, the Irish Post Office, has its very foundations in public service.
This campaign wouldn’t just have made An Post employees proud of the company but their customers too.
It’s not just a practical solution for people living at the edge, it’s a powerful brand statement.