Q&As

The Communication Workers Union, the U.K. postal workers organization, said it would strike Royal Mail for 24 hours beginning at 7:00 p.m. on July 12 after negotiations with Royal Mail broke down.

The European Parliament has voted to dismantle national monopolies for mail delivery by 2011, according to wire service reports.

Eleven years after mailing its last catalog, Gander Mountain can get back into direct marketing again. A federal judge has reversed an Aug. 2005 ruling in favor of the sporting goods retailer, giving it the legal right to use its logo and name in all direct marketing channels, including catalogs and e-commerce.

Avista Capital Partners, parent of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, will acquire a controlling interest in direct mail services company Iwco Direct from Court Square Capital Partners for an undisclosed sum.

Discover Card, Nike, Toyota, adidas and Ocean Spray are all players in promotional events scheduled around the WNBA All-Star game next month.

Duck Tape continues to come up with novel ways of promoting its brand, even to younger generations.

Sesame Workshop is launching an instant-win game around an upcoming DVD release starring Elmo and friends, which offers the chance at a walk-on role on “Sesame Street.”

Direct Marketing Association president John Greco Tuesday warned of the possible dangers of do-not-mail legislation under consideration in 15 states. He also solicited contributions to the Mail Moves America Coalition, an organization of 50 direct marketers, trade groups and printers the DMA set up to fight such bills.

Big-name brands including Coca-Cola, Carnival Cruises, and Ann Taylor Loft are putting their marketing muscles behind New Line Cinema’s upcoming musical comedy “Hairspray.”

JetBlue Airways is kicking off its partnership with “The Simpsons Movie” with a sweepstakes overlay for loyalty program members and an unusual tie to the characters’ hometown