The JICMAIL Levy

It is detailed in the terms and conditions of Royal Mail and other collecting agents and is applied via a small per item payment for applicable Advertising Mail products for the relevant mail tariffs. The levy is raised at 0.3% which equates to a fractional per item contribution of £3 per £1,000 of Advertising Mail postage expenditure.

• Based on a median advertiser annual expenditure of c£50,000 this amounts to a levy contribution of just £150.
• As for 2021, the levy is capped at £5,000 for 2023 for any levy payer (see below for full details).
• The levy represents the most equitable and cost-efficient funding model at a fraction of a penny contribution of Advertising Mail.

As a reminder it was introduced after industry consultation and approved by both the buy-side and sell-side interests of the industry with the full support of the JICMAIL board (which includes advertising industry bodies such as DMA, IPA, ISBA).

As the industry planning currency for mail, JICMAIL is the trusted, shared and accepted, gold standard data source that measures consumer interactions with mail and provides a common set of standards for the planning of advertising budgets and mail campaigns.

It provides multiple benefits, equipping users with the essential standards of audience and item data insight to take into their own measurement and campaign performance frameworks, enabling analysis across category, competitor and advertiser activity versus norms and benchmarks now stretching over 5 years and providing a raft of up to date consumer, mail and multi-media insights to inform and inspire their planning cycle through quarterly releases of JICMAIL data.

As a mail spender, it enables you to:

• understand what happens to mail in the homes of your customers and prospects providing detailed competitor insight
• understand how to improve the results generated from your investment in mail
• fit this core data standard for mail into your data systems supported by with tools for easy access
• utilise a common standard for planning within your own teams and across all your agency partners who have an input into your mail campaigns

These benefits help all mail users (large and small) to better plan and deliver more effective campaigns with the levy offering the fairest, equitable and transparent means to democratise the data and maximise the value from their mail investment. Over the last 12 months, the levy has enabled a dramatic expansion to the access of the data with almost 250 organisations now taking the data.

We at JICMAIL will support you in realising these benefits and as soon as a Data Agreement is in place, the next step is to complete a simple Adoption Plan which sets out your training needs so we can provide support to you and your teams to get the most out of JICMAIL. Access to data and the training within your Adoption Plan carries no cost.

All subscribers will need to be registered at JICMAIL and be accredited annually to maintain access. 

The levy is billed either directly or through intermediaries, to the organisation paying the postage charges for Advertising Mail to Royal Mail and is marked as a separate item on all Royal Mail invoices.

The payment of the levy is voluntary with the industry relying upon a shared commitment to the levy contribution, but if any Advertiser (end customer mailer) wishes to be refunded the levy they have paid, then they need to make a claim to JICMAIL providing the reasons they do not wish to support this industry initiative and verify the refund required (see below for full details of the Opt-out and Cap Claim Process for Levy Payers).

If there are further questions, then please contact the JICMAIL team.  Mark Cross, Engagement Director at mark@jicmail.org.uk or Tara Pickles, Customer Support Manager at tara@jicmail.org.uk.

JICMAIL LEVY Q&As

What is JICMAIL?

JICMAIL (The Joint Industry Currency for Mail) is the industry standard audience measurement data for Advertising Mail, covering Business Mail, Addressed Advertising Mail and Door Drops, and serves the marketing services community.

JICMAIL provides industry accepted and trusted gold standard data and insight that helps all the industry interests better plan, implement, and evaluate their campaigns.

How is JICMAIL governed?

JICMAIL is structured like other Joint Industry Currencies (such as BARB, RAJAR or PAMCo), is a not-for-profit organisation, owned by the industry with independent governance from across the buy side (represented by ISBA & IPA) and the sell side (represented by Royal Mail & Whistl) and is independently chaired by the DMA.

What data is captured?

The JICMAIL currency is based on a nationally representative panel of UK households, enabling us to measure the reach and frequency across different mail types and the commercial actions taken as a result of these impressions. The JICMAIL metrics provide the same level of data for evaluating the audiences and impact of Advertising Mail that has been available for TV, radio and press for a number of years, and is now giving planners a common currency for Advertising Mail in the wider mix.

The data shows us that a piece of Advertising Mail received in a household is not a single event, but rather achieves a frequency of more than four exposures. Advertising Mail has multiple touchpoints that can resonate for days, weeks and even months. JICMAIL quantifies how people return to pieces of mail, they share them with others and, importantly, go on to take tangible commercial actions.

Who operates the JICMAIL panel?

The panel is recruited and managed on behalf of JICMAIL by Kantar, a global research and data organisation with a heritage in media measurement services such as JICMAIL.

Why is there a levy funding model?

A commitment to improving marketing effectiveness and transparency has galvanised our industry and the need to ensure robust independent audience data from sources such as JICMAIL is recognised as an essential element within this effort. Given this context, users recommended a levy-based model to accelerate and normalise the access to JICMAIL across the full marketplace and provide assurance for long term access to the data. The eras of the COVID-19 pandemic, wider macro events, together with the current pressing economic recovery have amplified the need for this funding model to enable benefits for all involved in the planning and delivery of mail campaigns. This includes supporting SMEs to harness the impact of this industry data set.

How is the levy billed?

As is the case with MASBOF levy, it is billed either directly or through intermediaries, to the organisation paying the postage charges to Royal Mail. It is marked on all Royal Mail invoices for transparency.

What is the average levy payment?

The levy is capped again at £5,000 for 2023 so that for average mail spenders spending £400,000 on Advertising Mail or Door Drops, they would contribute around £1,200 per year and the most typical smaller mail users spending at, for example, £50,000 per year on the relevant on mail product, would contribute £150 per year. Advertisers can access the data directly and/or nominate their intermediaries and agencies to access the data on their behalf subject to their accreditation from JICMAIL. The level of the levy (at £3 per £1000 of RM postage expenditure) and the use of the cap for any levy payer (set at a maximum of £5,000 for 2023) together ensures that the levy represents the most cost-effective funding model for all and makes it accessible to everyone across the industry.

Can I opt out of the levy?

The payment of the levy is voluntary, and the industry will rely upon a shared commitment to making the levy payment, but if any Advertiser (end customer mailer) wishes to be refunded the levy they have paid, then they will need to make a claim directly to JICMAIL providing the reasons they do not wish to support this industry initiative and verify the refund required.

Refund payments will be made after JICMAIL has received the applicable levy payment(s) from Royal Mail or other collecting agents and the refund amounts have been verified. Please scroll to the foot of this page for details and forms. 

How will agencies and intermediaries access JICMAIL data?

All subscribers need to be registered and be accredited annually to maintain access. Agencies and intermediaries are required within their accreditation process to attain a competency level in using JICMAIL data on behalf of their clients and become an approved user on their behalf.

Advertisers can nominate their own agencies for data access on their behalf, subject to their accreditation. The accreditation process will be supported with training modules provided by JICMAIL and will be subject to annual review.

JICMAIL publishes a list of accredited agency and intermediary users on its website alongside all registered organisations.

How do I access the data?

JICMAIL data is accessed through JICMAIL Discovery on our website, through channel planning software and/or via excel and other data tables. JICMAIL Discovery is an online data visualisation tool that provides customisable charts detailing Mail Type, Sector or Content and Customer Demographic. JICMAIL data is also available through the industry software planning systems, Telmar, Nielsen IMS and Kantar Choices and available in excel or other data spreadsheets.

All access to the data is subject to the signing of a Data Agreement.

What support do I get from JICMAIL in using the data?

The JICMAIL team support all subscribers with training, certification, and where appropriate, additional data insight for specific projects. Online training resources are also available, along with pre-recorded webinars and in-depth analysis presentations on sector use of JICMAIL.

The JICMAIL Levy Opt-out and Cap Process for Levy Payers

The levy is applied to every item of applicable mail product and invoiced by Royal Mail to its contract holders. This incorporates the mailing items within Royal Mail Access Services defined as Advertising Mail, Responsible Mail, and Partially Addressed Mail.

Royal Mail is acting as a collecting agent for the JICMAIL Levy on behalf of JICMAIL on all direct mail Mailing Items presented as Advertising Mail under the terms of the Royal Mail Access Contract.

The levy is billed either directly or through intermediaries, to the organisation paying the postage charges for advertising mail to Royal Mail. It will be marked on all Royal Mail invoices for transparency and collaboration across the supply chain and the Postal/Access Carrier may be required to confirm the levy amounts paid for the Originating Customer and Customer Legal Entity.

Over time, there will be other collecting agents across the mail sector who will collect the levy on behalf of JICMAIL for non-Royal mail contracts.

The Opt-Out Process

Payment of the levy is voluntary, and so if any Originating Customer and Customer Legal Entity wishes to be refunded the levy they have paid, then this process for handling the mail levy opt-out has been put in place.

Due to the fragmented nature of the supply chain and the necessity to obtain customer data across a number of mail participants and intermediaries (for each collecting agent), the opt-out process is simplified and operated on a retrospective, calendar year basis and is only effective for the calendar year for which the claim is being made.

A claim must be made within three months of the end of the calendar year of opt-out and JICMAIL will endeavour to ensure that any refund is made within three months of the date of the claim subject to verification.

However, it should be noted that JICMAIL is reliant upon the Collection Agents to provide information on a timely basis.

If an Originating Customer and Customer Legal Entity wants a refund of the JICMAIL Levy they must complete the following documentation:

1. JICMAIL Levy Opt-Out Claim Form - confirming company details and intention to Opt Out. The claim must be signed by a Board director or a senior responsible officer (SRO) and include the reasons they do not wish to support this industry initiative.
2. JICMAIL Mailing Agent Authorisation Form instructing the Collection Agent to provide the applicable mail billing data to JICMAIL 
3. A schedule for the applicable mail billing data for each Collection Agent showing the invoice number, invoice dates and JICMAIL Levy amounts that are to be refunded, including the relevant mailing account numbers with their collecting agents. Details are typically provided via a spreadsheet with detailed postage information including specific RM tariffs matched to JICMAIL Levy charged (with supporting invoices as required).
4. Please note, all documentation should be sent by email to tara@jicmail.org.uk and not sent as hard copy.

JICMAIL shall liaise with the relevant intermediary, such as Access operators, to provide the relevant schedule required. On receipt, JICMAIL will request any clarifications prior to confirmation and verification. Following that JICMAIL will send a Duty of Care form for signature to the intermediary involved for signature and return.

Subject to obtaining the information on a timely basis from the collecting agent JICMAIL shall process and pay refunds within three months of the receipt of a valid claim.

The standard JICMAIL Levy Opt-Out Claim Form and Mailing Agent Authorisation Letter are available for download at the foot of this page.

The Cap Refund Process

The Cap Refund mirrors the Opt-Out process, and aims to refund any excess levy collected for an end customer above the Cap maximum set at £5,000 for 2023 for any Originating Customer and Legal Customer Entity.

The Cap is also operated on a retrospective, calendar year basis.

A Cap refund claim must be made within three months of the end of the calendar year using the JICMAIL standard Cap Refund Claim Form. The standard JICMAIL Cap Refund Claim Form should be signed by a Board director or a senior responsible officer (SRO).

Attached to the Cap Refund Claim Form, we require the JICMAIL Mailing Agent Authorisation Form giving the individual Collection Agent permission to provide specific billing information to JICMAIL for the purposes of the claim.

JICMAIL will endeavour to ensure that any refund is made within three months of the date of the claim: but it should be understood that JICMAIL is reliant on the Collection Agents to provide information on a timely basis.

Levy payers will be able to make a Cap Refund Claim at any time after the £5,000 limit has been exceeded.

Subject to the terms of the process agreed with Collection Agents, JICMAIL will advise the Originating Customers of the total amount of Mail Levy charged listed by Collection Agent and from this total amount the sum of £5,000 will be deducted.

The net amount will be shown as the cap refund payable to the Originating Customer and Customer Legal Entity.

The JICMAIL Levy is outside the scope of VAT and so no VAT will be included in any refund.

If the Originating Customer and Customer Legal Entity does not accept the Refund statement, queries the numbers or requires more details – they will be encouraged to revert to the Collection Agent directly.

The standard JICMAIL Levy Cap Refund Claim Form and Mailing Agent Authorisation Form is available for download at the foot of this page.

Please do not send hard copy information. All documentation should be emailed to tara@jicmail.org.uk.

Industry Best Practice

JICMAIL supports the inclusion of the levy within the prevailing industry best practice standards such as those set out in the ISBA guidance for the template framework for media strategy, planning and buying services of 2018.

As such we encourage all users to;

• Specify the specific levy cost on all plans/proposals and detail as a VAT exempt item on invoices. This is desirable across the supply chain irrespective of who is acting as a collecting agent on behalf of JICMAIL.
• We recognise that there will need to be some time to adjust existing delivery systems across the supply chain for this to happen, but JICMAIL will encourage all best efforts.
• We also recommend that access customers, intermediaries, and agencies in making the JICMAIL Levy explicit on all plans and proposals, monitor levy contributions for their Originating Customers as appropriate.