DM p22-28 addressing Feb09.qxp 29/01/2009 11:24 Page 25
Addressing Software
Postcode celebrates 50th birthday
Integral to all addressing software, the humble postcode celebrates its 50th anniversary this year
and since its introduction, it has evolved to become an invaluable tool for Royal Mail, direct mar-
keters and indeed many other industries.
The first ever UK postcodes were introduced in Norwich in 1959, with the first half of the post-
code NOR representing the city name, and the last three characters each individual street. During
the 1960s, postcodes were rolled out to all addresses across the UK.
The very first steps toward the modern-day postcode were taken a long time before that, howev-
er, way back in 1857 when, faced with London’s burgeoning population, Sir Rowland Hill, inventor
of the postage stamp, introduced a scheme to accelerate mail delivery. This divided the capital into
10 separate postal districts – N, S, E, W, NE, NW, SE, SW, EC and WC. The public was then asked to
add these district letters to the bottom of addresses.
There are now more than 1.7 million postcodes across the UK, covering 28 million addresses. Its
usage has developed and it is now much more than a delivery tool for Royal Mail, forming the back-
bone of services such as online shopping and satnav systems. Additionally, the introduction of the
postcode spawned a number of revolutionary marketing techniques such as geodemographics.
The postcode also gave rise to Royal Mail’s Postal Address File (PAF), Royal Mail’s unique data-
base of over 28 million UK addresses. PAF forms the cornerstone of marketing datasets enabling
marketers to improve the accuracy of mailings, target more effectively, reduce goneaways, costs
and increase efficiency.
Giles Finnemore, head of marketing at Royal Mail’s Address Management team, says: “Although
the postcode is celebrating its 50th birthday in 2009 it’s still as important today as it ever was to
help Royal Mail sort and deliver mail quickly and efficiently. Additionally, without the postcode the
DM industry would be less well developed and brands would be unable to target their mailings effi-
ciently. Moreover, our postcode system now lies at the heart of many forms of modern technology,
such as satnav systems, online mapping and route planners and of course online shopping.”
www.dmarket.co.uk Database Marketing February 2009 25
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