What is Share of Life and why is it changing how we measure brands?
We are witnessing a fascinating journey through the very backbone of civilization: communication. From messengers braving deserts on foot to Denmark’s recent and symbolic “goodbye,” the history of mail is not just a chronology of logistics ; it is the story of how humanity has attempted to overcome time and distance to connect hearts and businesses.
From muscle to democratization
Before silicon technology, mail was biological. As early as 2400 BC, the Egyptians understood that information was power. However, it was the Roman Empire, with its Cursus Publicus (27 BC), that designed the first “modern” system. Its messengers, true athletes of identity, traveled up to 80 km a day to keep the world connected.
The real revolution came in 1840 with the Penny Black. The United Kingdom didn’t just launch a stamp; it launched a disruptive idea: democratizing communication. By reversing the burden of payment—from the sender to the recipient—mail ceased to be a privilege of the elite and became a citizen’s right.
By 1900, the world was already exchanging more than 10 billion letters annually. Postal branding was branding of presence.
The blows of immediacy
In 1844, Samuel Morse revolutionized communication. With a few dots and dashes, the speed of communication decreased from days to minutes. The impact was devastating: the iconic Pony Express went bankrupt just two days after the transcontinental telegraph line was completed.
Then Bell arrived in 1876 with the telephone, bringing the emotional immediacy of the voice. But the mail endured. Why? Because the telephone was for emergencies, but the letter was for reflection. At the beginning of the 20th century, cities like London experienced such a boom that mail was delivered up to 12 times a day. It was, quite literally, the paper WhatsApp of our ancestors.
The great collapse
The arrival of the Internet changed everything. Between Ray Tomlinson’s first email in 1971 and the boom of the 90s, postal mail found not a competitor, but a functional replacement.
Between 2000 and 2020, the volume of personal letters plummeted by 70%. The postman, that trusted ambassador who entered every home, began to exchange his leather bag for a parcel van. The message gave way to the package; the idea gave way to the object.
“Efficiency” versus “closeness”
We have reached the current turning point. PostNord Denmark has stopped delivering ordinary mail. After 400 years, the Danish state has decreed that the physical letter is an unviable relic. With a drop in volume exceeding 90%, Denmark has established itself as the “Platform Nation. ”
However, in branding, what is gained in efficiency is often lost in soul:
- Digital coldness: By eliminating mail, the State loses its only daily physical point of contact. The citizen-country relationship becomes binary (0 and 1).
- The end of the ritual: Opening the mailbox used to be a ritual. Neuromarketing tells us that the brain retains information 21% better on paper. By digitizing everything, we gain speed, but we lose brand memory.
- The paradox of exclusion: A country brand that ignores the 5-10% of the population with the digital divide damages its most valuable asset: social welfare.
The new landscape of luxury
Herein lies the great paradox: in a world where the physical disappears, the tangible becomes the new luxury.
For high-impact brands, the empty mailbox is the new “Premium Space”.
While email is dying with open rates of 20%, a 600-gram envelope, with texture and aroma, delivered by hand, has an open rate of 100%.
It’s no longer just mail; it’s high-end, white-glove logistics. What was once ordinary is now a collector’s item.
Being able to produce something physical and beautiful is today the greatest sign of respect for the customer’s time.
What do we want to remain?
Denmark is the mirror in which Sweden, Norway, and the world see themselves. We are transforming communication into infrastructure. But beware: infrastructure brands are hated if they fail, while communication brands are loved when they inspire.
As I always say, “letters carried feelings; emails carry data.” The challenge for brands and countries of the future is not to be the fastest in fiber optics, but to rediscover how to touch the customer’s heart in a world where the mailbox has finally fallen silent.
Forget about wanting to be important. Start by doing things that matter. Even if that means writing another letter.
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