Glossary of List Terms 

ASCII--American Standard Code for Information Interchange, a standard for representing computer data.

Barcoding—Graphic representation of ZIP codes, which enables scanning and automatic processing by the United States Postal Service (USPS).

CASS™ Certification—The Coding Accuracy Support System was by the USPS in cooperation with the mailing industry to improve the accuracy
of postal codes [i.e., carrier route, 5-digit ZIP, ZIP + 4®, and delivery point codes (DPCs) that appear on mailpieces. CASS certification is
prerequisite for postal automation discounts.

 Comma Delimited--Data that is marked at the beginning or end of each field of a record with a comma. This the most common data format used
on diskettes and e-mail.

 Count--The number of records available from a list, in total or as a function of various selection criteria—e.g., specialty, type of practice,
 geographic location.

 Deliverable--A mailing piece with a valid mailing address.

 Deliverability Rate--The proportion of names on a mailing list with valid mailing addresses.

Delivery Point Validation™ (DPV) System – According to the United States Postal Service (USPS), DPV identifies whether a ZIP + 4^® coded
address is currently represented in the USPS^® delivery file as a known address record per the USPS database, allowing users to confirm known
USPS addresses as well as identify potential addressing issues that may hinder delivery. Correcting potential addressing issues can reduce the amount
of undeliverable-as-addressed (UAA) pieces, which in turn will result in more efficient mail processing and delivery.

 The DPV Product classifies addresses in one of three categories:

• The known address has verifiable primary (e.g., street address) and secondary (i.e., Suite or Apartment Number) data.
• The known address has the verifiable primary but not secondary data.
• The address cannot be verified as a known address.

The DPV Product does not append any missing data or correct any address elements.

Effective August 1, 2007, CASS Certified™ software is required to use both the DPV and LACSLink™ products when processing address lists.
This new requirement ensures ZIP + 4^® codes will be assigned only when the primary number of the address can be validated using the DPV Product,
and whether the input address reflects any municipality conversions.

Delivery Sequence File--A computerized file of more than 125 million records containing all the addresses the U.S. Postal Service serves throughout
the U.S. Each address record features ZIP+4, carrier route, delivery sequence, delivery type and seasonal delivery information that can help mailers
maintain accurate and complete addresses on the lists they own and rent as well as code their mail for walk sequence discounts from the postal service.

Enhancement –appending data to a list to enhance its value to the user.

Enhanced Carrier Route System-- A level of sortation for a mailing, where addresses contain a carrier route and either walk sequence or
line-of-travel information.  

Fixed Field--A data format in which each field is a set number of characters.

 FTP--File Transfer Protocol, an application protocol used to exchange files between computers on the Internet.

 Key Code-- a sequence of letters, numbers, or both, that appears on a response device to identify the campaign and the direct mail list used for
the mailing.

 Labels, Cheshire, 4-up--Cheshire labels are printed onto continuous sheets of computer paper in four columns across a page.
The label is applied by a machine that cuts and affixes it with glue onto your material. Cheshire labels are generally used for larger mailings
produced by a lettershop or mailing house.

 Labels, Pressure-Sensitive (P/S), 4-up—“Peel-and-stick“, self-adhesive labels affixed to a slick backing paper in four columns across a page.
These labels must be applied manually to your mailing material and are thus generally used for smaller quantity mailings. 

LACS^Link –According to the United States Postal Service (USPS), the LACS^Link Product is a secure dataset of converted addresses that primarily
arise from the implementation of a 911 system, which commonly involves changing rural-style addresses to city-style addresses.
The LACS^Link Product also contains existing city-style addresses that have been renamed or renumbered.

The LACS^Link Product:

     *  Reduces undeliverable mail by providing the most current address information for matches made to the LACSLink file.

     * Lowers mailer costs by reducing the number of undeliverable and duplicate mail pieces by using the most current address information.

     * Provides the opportunity for faster product/service marketing through accurate mail delivery.

Effective August 1, 2007, CASS Certified™ software is required to use both LACSLink and DPV™ products when processing address lists.
This new requirement ensures ZIP + 4^® codes will be assigned only when the primary number of the address can be validated using the DPV Product
and whether the input address reflects any applicable municipality address conversions.

Lettershop--A company that will assemble and insert the various printed elements of a direct mail piece, label, sort, tag and deliver the mailings
to the post office for mailing. The lettershop will provide the mailer with written proof of delivery to the U.S. Postal Service.

List Broker--A list specialist hired by a mailer to make the necessary arrangements to use other companies' lists. Brokerage services
usually include: research, list selections, recommendations and logistics so that the rented lists arrive at the proper time.
The standard commission to a list broker is 20 percent.

List Cleaning/Hygiene--The process of updating a list in order to remove any undeliverable addresses. Other cleaning activities could include
removing duplicates, bad debts, names on the DMA Mail Preference Service, prison ZIPs, etc.

List Maintenance--The ongoing process of keeping a mailing list up-to-date by adding, editing and deleting data.

/M--Per thousand.

Medical Education (ME) Number—An 11-digit, unique identifier assigned to physicians and medical students by
the American Medical Association (AMA). 

Merge--A service which allows multiple lists to be combined into one single list so the pieces may be sorted to optimize postal discounts. 

Merge/Purge--The process of combining two or more lists into one while, at the same time, identifying and removing any duplicates. 

National Change of Address (NCOA)--A service provided by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), through licensed computer service bureaus, that enables
mailers to make any necessary address corrections prior to their mailing being dropped. The mailer provides a magnetic tape that is run against the
national change of address bank and then is returned to the mailer with all the corrections made. 

Nixies--Pieces of mail returned as "undeliverable as addressed" by the USPS 

Nth Name Select--A list selection designed to produce a cross-section of a list by selecting every Nth name, where N is a number equal to the
desired sample size divided by the total list. For example, to obtain an Nth name select of 5,000 names from a list of 100,000 names,
one would select 20^th name (100,000/5,000=20).This selection method is most often used to test the effectiveness of a list by mailing a quantity
less than the full count or to reduce a list to the budgeted mailing quantity. 

Important note: Market researchers requiring true randomness in a sample for survey research should specify that a random sample is needed
—see definition of Random Sample. 

One-Time Use--Mailing lists are rented, not sold. Unless otherwise specified, lists are rented for one mailing or use and may not be used again
without the consent of the list owner and additional payment.

Personalization---Using/printing personal information, such as a first or last name, in a direct mail campaign.

Psychographics--The qualities or characteristics of individuals which indicate lifestyle, purchasing habits, attitudes and personal values. 

Radius Select—Pulls your list within an area defined by a designated distance from a given geographical point—for example, you could use a
radius select to target physicians within 100 miles of the center of the ZIP code 60610 to market to physicians in the Chicago area.  

Random Sample—This selection is used for survey research studies which seek to use a small, purely random subset chosen from a
population for investigation. A random sample is one chosen by a method involving an unpredictable component
(generally by reference to a table of random numbers)
For more information, refer to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random sample 

SCF--Sectional Center Facility, first three digits of the ZIP Code. 

Seed--A name and address included in a mailing list by a list owner or mailer to monitor the usage of the list. 

Stop Count Select—Pulls your list based on the first “X” records on a file. For example, if you wanted to mail to only 5,000 records out of the
AMA Physicians List, a stop count select would give you the first 5,000 records on the file.   

Suppression--Exclusion of a list of selected names or addresses from the final mail file. 

Title Addressing--Use of an assigned title, job function, or description rather than a specific person’s name on a mailing label.
The purpose is to direct the mailing piece in the most efficient way. Titles can have a significant impact on response rates.
Examples would be “Director” or “Software Buyer.” 

USPS-United States Postal Service 

ZIP, ZIP+4, 11-digit ZIP codes-- The Zoning Improvement Plan (ZIP) Code was launched in 1963 to better process and deliver increasing
volumes of mail. The first number in the five-digit ZIP Code represents a general geographic area of the nation,
"0" in the east, moving to "9" in the west. The next two numbers represent regional areas, and the final two identify specific post offices.
In 1983, the ZIP+4 Code was introduced. The extra four numbers enable mail to be sorted to a specific street. In 1991, two more numbers
were added so that mail could be sorted directly to a residence or business. Today, the use of ZIP Codes extends far beyond the mailing industry
and they are a fundamental component in the nation’s 911 emergency system.

 

If you are unable to find a definition, e-mail T-Nugent@mmslists.com. We'll endeavor to dig it up for you.

© Copyright 2007, Medical Marketing Service. Inc.