lettrs
Developer(s)Drew Bartkiewicz (CEO)
Initial release2012 (2012)
Operating systemApple iOS, Android
TypeSocial Networking
Websitewww.lettrs.com

Lettrs is a global mobile application and social network that allows users to compose and send mobile messages privately or publicly.[1][2] The lettrs app converts mobile voice, data and pictures to digital personal and public messages via its text and mobile delivery inventions.[3]

lettrs is headquartered in New York City and Drew Bartkiewicz is the company’s CEO and co-founder. In 2015, Mark Jung was named the company Chairman.[4][5] lettrs has a global user base in 174 countries,[6] over 1 million downloads and has been featured in several media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, CBS and NPR.[7]

History

lettrs was established in 2012 by technology entrepreneur Drew Bartkiewicz.[1][2][7] Bartkiewicz came up with the idea for the company in 2008[1] after being inspired by his grandmother’s letter writing[8][9] and his own experiences during his service in the military.[1][2][10] lettrs was officially established the summer of 2012 with the help of his wife, Araceli Bartkiewicz, and children,[7] though it was not launched as a global platform from its beta phase until December 2012.[2][11]

Bartkiewicz introduced the lettrs mobile application at the PostalVision 2020/3.0 conference in Washington, D.C. in 2013.[7][3][11] The Android version was released in July 2014,[12] followed by a re-release of the iOS app in October.[13]

Features

lettrs provides a mobile platform for customers to create and deliver mobile letters in 80 translated languages with a selection of writing themes, proprietary “SocialStamps” and styles.[2][14] It facilitates both private messaging and public posting of signed, translated and networked mobile-to-mobile letters.

The signature service of lettrs is the translation of letter messages in real time complete with original user signatures and selectable SocialStamps. The lettrs mobile network is able to translate an original digital letter in up to 80 languages. Users may also share open letters and the lettrs stamps across other major social networks.[1][3][8][10]

In December 2014 the company introduced a feature named SocialStamps that allows users to add a customized stamp to a letter. At the feature’s launch, the company offered 47 different stamps with plans to issue new stamps monthly. As part of the release the lettrs 2014 Persons of Note stamps on the lettrs network featured Michelle Phan, Narendra Modi, Bob Woodruff of ABC News and Stanley A. McChrystal.[6][15][16]

Users can share letters and the SocialStamps via Facebook and Twitter.[2][11] lettrs also integrates with Google+ and Instagram so that users may broaden the distribution of their letters beyond the mobile app.[1] Users can also pen open public letters or petitions for supporting causes, persons, or brands.[2][11]

lettrs conducted its first Hollywood movie integration in April 2015 with Relativity Media. The company released stamps featuring images from the movie Desert Dancer.[17] In May 2015, lettrs released the "Women of Note" stamp collection. It featured 12 notable women including Michelle Obama, Queen Rania of Jordan, Shakira, Michelle Bachelet, Laura Bush, Sonia Gandhi, Ellen DeGeneres and Angelina Jolie.[4][5]

Recognition and partnerships

In 2014, Google selected lettrs as one of the Best Android Apps of the year.[18][5]

Lettrs has worked with the USO, Aspen Institute, and the United Way.[4] In 2014, the company published the first digitally sourced book of letters, Poetguese. The book contains a foreword by author Paulo Coelho with all proceeds donated to charity.[19]

Lettrs established lettrs Foundation, an organization that partners with schools and non-profits to improve literacy through social networking, including partnerships with the United Way and Aspen Institute.[17]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Leonard, Devin (30 January 2014). "You've Sent Mail: A Letter-Writing App Forces Users to Slow Down". BusinessWeek.com. Bloomberg LP. Archived from the original on January 30, 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "lettrs Launches Platform to Organize and Deliver the World's Letters in the Cloud". CustomerThink.com. Customer Think Corporation. 21 December 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Petronzio, Matt (23 April 2013). "Lettrs App Lets You Send Snail Mail From Your iPhone". Mashable.com. Mashable Inc. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Nay, Josh Robert (6 May 2015). "lettrs Messaging App Announces New Chairman and Launch of "Woman Of Note" Collection". trutower.com. TruTower. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 Schmidt, Will (6 May 2015). "lettrs: Bringing Hand Written Notes to the Digital World". tech.co. TechCo. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  6. 1 2 Shaul, Brandy (9 December 2014). "Messaging App Lettrs Launches SocialStamps for Advertisers, Charities". Social Times. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Drew Bartkiewicz". PostalVision2020.com. Ursa Major Associates, LLC. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  8. 1 2 Van Paris, Calin (19 June 2012). "Lettrs Brings Snail Mail Back to The Future". Yahoo News. Mashable Inc. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  9. ↑ Van Paris, Calin (19 June 2012). "Lettrs Brings Snail Mail Back to The Future". Nashable. Mashable Inc. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  10. 1 2 "PostalVision sets sights on Congress and younger Americans". PostandParcel.info. Post & Parcel. 27 March 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Sawers, Paul (23 April 2013). "TNW Pick of the Day: Lettrs turns your iPhone into a personal writing desk, transcriber and post office". The Next Web. The Next Web, Inc. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  12. ↑ Callaham, John (14 June 2014). "The lettrs app comes to Android for more personal messages". AndroidCentral.com. Mobile Nations. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  13. ↑ "lettrs Raises $1.5M, Releases First Native iPad and Popular New iPhone App". PRWeb.com. Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  14. ↑ Vartan, Starre (8 February 2013). "Miss sending letters? Try lettrs!". Mother Nature Network. MNN Holding Company, LLC. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  15. ↑ Levine, Barry (9 December 2014). "Lettrs calls postage stamps into social duty for its old-style letters". VentureBeat.com. VentureBeat. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  16. ↑ Samuely, Alex (9 December 2014). "United Way of New York City leverages lettrs' SocialStamps for fundraising". MobileMarketer.com. Napean LLC. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  17. 1 2 Nay, Josh Robert (14 July 2014). "lettrs Platform Launches on Android, Bringing Handwritten Letters Back to the Mainstream". TruTower.com. TruTower. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  18. ↑ Luckerson, Victor (1 December 2014). "Google Says These Are 2014's Best Android Apps". Time.com. Time Inc. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  19. ↑ "lettrs Announces Poetguese". broadwayworld.com. Wisdom Digital Media. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
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