Whoa guys...This news is wrong...just found an article about it:
Jassi is pass, Sony Jaisa Koi Nahi
agencyfaqs!
NEW DELHI, September 3
Hype sells. Here's how.
About 48 hours back, the Indian media was agog with the news that the Indian Post and Telegraph Department is set to come out with a 'Jassi stamp' to commemorate the first anniversary celebrations for Sony TV's hit serial Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi. < = src="https://www.india-forums.com/jss/news/square_banner_in_story.js">
A section of the media even likened Jassi with Mahatma Gandhi and JRD Tata, while some carried illustrations of Jassi in a regular postage stamp.
The fact of the matter is, however, very different. The Postal Department is not coming out with any postage stamp in Jassi's memory. And, as matters stand now, the Department is not even remotely interested in bringing out postage stamps with Jassi's likeness.
For the uninitiated, Jassi is Jasmeet Walia, a middle class girl, who symbolises the great Indian middle-class hope and has, of late, graduated to being a role model for many. She is the central character in the Hindi soap, Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi.
Coming back to Jassi's tryst with mail services, all that the Postal Department has done is to get a picture of Sony's prime-time prima donna with her trademark umbrella on envelopes and postcards with the slogan – 'Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi'. The envelopes are pink in colour, and are called 'special cover'. The postcards, called Meghdoot Postcards, carry Jassi's advertisements inserted by Sony.
The special Jassi envelopes will cost Rs 10 and will not require a postage stamp. The Post and Telegraph Department will be launching around 10,000 of these envelopes, and 2 lakh postcards. If the stamps are sold out, then along with Sony TV – which is aiming for publicity, the Postal Department will stand to gain monetarily.
In case you are wondering, this is not the first time that the glamour industry has tied up with the Post and Telegraph Department. Earlier in 2003, Tamil superstar Rajnikanth had paid up Rs 24 lakh to launch a special cover when his film 'Baba' was released. That was one movie which saw a lot of initial hype – only to sink at the BO.
Sony's plugging for this piece of news also had its share of hype. Sample this particular one – Sunil Lulla, executive vice-president of SET India was quoted as saying: "The Indian Post and Telegraph Department is, in fact, honouring Jassi. It will be a collector's item....a Jassi clothing line will also follow."
Considering that Sony paid monies to the Postal Department for printing the special covers and postcards, should this be counted as an "honour"?
As for the clothing line, since Jassi is not particularly known for her dress sense and is usually dressed in plain salwar kameezes, one wonders what Lulla is talking about. Perhaps, waiting for Jassi's transformation into a swish lady and then launching a clothesline will be a better idea.
Coming back to envelopes and stamps, it seems the process of applying for a special cover is rather simple. All one needs to do is send an application (this costs about Rs 3,000) to the Chief Postmaster concerned. After getting a sanction from the authorities, the applicant has to bear all subsequent costs but can decide on the design of the cover. This is what Sony exactly did. The printing cost of the envelopes apparently came to about Rs 2.6 lakh – which is a small change by Sony standards.
One really marvels at Sony's ingenuity in creating hype and building the Jassi brand. With investment as little as a few lakhs, Sony – thanks to the gullible media – has ensured that millions of newspaper readers will remember Jassi making an appearance on postage stamps.
So, what if the media reports are found wrong after 48 hours?
2004 agencyfaqs!Edited by MysticaMagic - 20 years ago
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