• by February 5, 2001

I supposed if it had to happen, Valentine's Day is just as good a time as any for email and postal mail to get together. A press release titled "Romeo Never Used Email to Win Juliet's Heart" landed on my desk this morning, announcing a new Internet service that helps romantics send real letters on Valentine's Day as opposed to email.

Intrigued? There's more. The letters are not just advertising supported, they're targeted to the demographics and personal interests of the letter recipient.

According to the release, Zairmail - http://www.zairmail.com - is the first company to facilitate the convergence between the Internet and postal mail by offering a free way to send personal letters.

"There is something special about receiving that Valentine's greeting in the mail," said Wilson Zehr, CEO of Zairmail. "In addition, letters come with a special gift -- attractive offers from advertisers."

How does it work? The sender selects and personalizes the greeting and clicks the SEND button. Zairmail then routes the message to a print production facility closest to the recipient, where the letter is printed, addressed and mailed.

Zairmail letters are free to send if you choose to include a separate page of special offers and promotions. These offers are selected in part by the sender to ensure the maximum value for the recipient. The sender can even preview the ads before sending. If you prefer no promotions, each letter costs $1.00 or less.

The "Taking the Snail out of Mail" company slogan may not be completely accurate, but talk about pay-for-performance ad opportunities!