Royal Mail is trialling self-service pillar boxes. The new design features a barcode scanner and a large hatch for depositing parcels. They are powered by solar panels, mounted on top of the pillar boxes.

This reminded me of William Smith's book Advertise. How? When? Where? (1863). As the title suggests, the book was aimed at advertisers. Smith has been hailed as a prophet of modern advertising, which is a bit of a stretch, but the book does give a good insight into advertising practices in the second half of the 19th century. The book also confirms junk mail was already well-established by 1863. Amongst others, it talks about "bills" being handed out to passers-by (i.e. what we nowadays call "flyers") and "put under the door or knocker" (i.e. leaflet deliveries before doors had letter boxes). It even mentions advertisements addressed "To the Mistress of the House" (i.e. "To the Occupier" junk mail).

Smith sniffed at all three advertising strategies. His book essentially argued that advertising is more effective when it is more respectable. Even back then, junk mail was not respectable, though Smith make an exception for letters addressed to a specific individuals (i.e. "direct mail"). He also argued that customer service was very much part of advertising, and he saw plenty of room for improvement. For instance, he had this advice for the Post Office:

Much time is lost by persons, especially at night, in looking for a post-office or a pillar letterbox — I may say, literally, in running "from pillar to post." All receiving pillars should have a lamp on the top, with the words in good black letters, "Post-office Pillar," and stating the time of first and last collection.

Sadly, the idea wasn't adopted. I reckon fitting pillar boxes with lampshades would be rather quirky. Another of Smith's ideas for the Post Office, to paint the postal district on all lamp posts (of a good size, in black on a white ground) didn't make it either. However, the railways seemed to have been more receptive to at least one of Smith's many suggestions for them:

In ever railway carriage, there should be a map of the rail, with the distance from station to station, and a shifting scroll to say —

This train stops at Norwood, Croydon, &c.
Change for Grinstead, Horsham.

Of course, there had to be some space for advertisements as well. This illustration from the book visualises what he had in mind.

I was reminded of that particular idea while enduring a constant stream of announcements and advertisements on a local train. Our local train monopoly has not just run with Smith's ideas but carried it to extremes — so much so that I'm sure Smith would have a few stern words for the company.