Valpak

Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, LLC, commonly known as Valpak, is a North American direct marketing company owned by Platinum Equity. Valpak provides print, mobile and online advertising, customer data and coupons. Valpak mails coupons to 41 million demographically targeted households each month^[1] and millions more consumers through its advertising postcards and website every year.

Valpak Direct Marketing Systems, LLC

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Direct marketing
Founded	1968; 56 years ago (1968)
Headquarters	St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.
Area served	United States
Products	Coupons, advertising postcards, customer data
Parent	Platinum Equity

History

Terry Loebel, an unemployed autoworker, founded Valpak in 1968, using a $500 loan to start mailing coupons from his home to households in Clearwater, Florida. In 1972, Valpak established its first franchise in Orlando, Florida. A group of investors purchased Valpak from Terry Loebel in 1985.^[2]

In September 1991, Cox Target Media, Inc. purchased Valpak and by 1997, Valpak was mailing out 11 billion coupons a year.^[3] In 2005, Valpak opened a St. Petersburg, Florida headquarters with 50,000-square-foot space and had 310 employees. In January 2017, Platinum Equity acquired Valpak from Cox Target Media, Inc.^[4]

Products

Coupon envelopes

Valpak prints, packages and ships coupon envelopes from the Valpak Manufacturing Center, a $200-million, 500,000-square-foot print production facility in St. Petersburg.^[5] Print inserts in the envelope advertise local businesses and national brands with coupons for dining, health and beauty, entertainment, automotive, home services and more.

In each of its mailing cycles, Valpak sells the outside of its envelope to select national advertisers for promotions, marketing campaigns and sweepstakes. Advertisers include Tennis Channel, HGTV, Legoland, Shutterfly and Panera Bread.^[1]

Advertising postcards

In October 2019, Valpak partnered with the United States Postal Service on a 2-year test of Plus One postcards.^[6] These postcards became a permanent USPS product in January 2022.^[7] Valpak also provides an automated postcard service to audiences like new movers as well as other targeted and saturation postcard products.^[8]

Customer data

Valpak's data and analytics platform incorporates thousands of data points across billions of records (aggregated public, survey, behavioral, transactional and proprietary data) for brands to identify and advertise to specific audience segments.^[6]

Marketers can also use its self-service mailing list platform to create their own mailing lists prioritized by rankings, deliverability and postal rates.^[9]

References

1. "Valpak Introduction of Premier Plus Strengthens Appeal of Direct Mail for Retailers". The Wise Marketer. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
2. Harrington, Jeff (31 July 2012). "Valpak pioneer Terry Loebel dies at 71". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
3. Glover, Charles E. (1998). Journey Through Our Years: The Story of Cox Enterprises, Inc. Atlanta, Georgia, USA: LONGSTREET. pp. 197–199. ISBN 1-56352-570-4.
4. Manning, Margie (January 3, 2017). "Valpak gets a new owner". Tampa Bay Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
5. Chmura, Chris. "ValPak ventures from direct mail to digital coupons". Fox 13. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
6. "Valpak's PlusOne Product Solidifies Reputation as Direct Mail Innovator". MarTech Series. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
7. "Plus One Permanent Product". The Office of the Federal Register. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
8. "Postcard Advertising". Company website. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
9. "Direct Mail Mailing Lists". Audience Solutions Group. Retrieved 10 May 2023.