The initiative to allow corporate branding in the Sovereign's stamp is described as the world's first by any postal department. Says Ms Radhika Doraiswamy, general manager, BDD: ``The only thing which comes close to our concept is Australian Posts' initiative to have an individual's photograph in place of the sovereign postal stamp.''

Under the new initiative, India Post will allow corporates to either choose from a plethora of designs or bring in their own designs, which will be incorporated on greeting card envelopes as a soverign stamp. The envelope will also contain a greeting card which will be the replica of the stamp-sized image. The corporate can then use these customised greeting cards for its own communication programmes. Being a sovereign property, the India Post customised greeting cards will be printed at the Security Press in Chennai, Kanpur.

``We're still working out the ways to provide value to the corporates,'' says Ms Doraiswamy. ``It has to be decided whether we can allow logos or issue only corporate-specific messages and visuals on the card.'' The postal greeting cards for corporates are initially being priced at Rs 15 per copy for 10,000 prints. Says a KSA-Technopak consultant: ``Depending on a customer's higher volume needs and frequency of interaction with India Posts, pricing can be mutually discussed.''

India Post had earlier tested the concept of customised greeting cards (priced at Rs 15 and Rs 12 per card) for retail buyers in September 2000. Says Ms Doraiswamy, ``We got revenues of around Rs 1 crore between Diwali and X'Mas 2000, through sales from our direct marketing and our distribution set-up in Gujarat and Rajasthan.'' In the fiscal 1999-2000, India Post got Rs 7 crore in revenues from advertising. The initiative, spearheaded by BDD and distinct from ad revenues, expected to contribute significantly to the postal department's overall revenues. ``While we will continue to perform our social obligations, we will at the same time try and explore new ways of generating revenues for us,'' says Ms Doraiswamy.

Top in the priority of BDD is to set up an extensive distribution set-up. KSA Technopak is helping the department find the right kind of channel partners. The division's preference will be to develop a lean distribution set-up with more direct dealers - like life-style establishments and super malls - and less of wholesale distributors.

In the next couple of months, BDD plans to roll out the product in all four metros. The department's plan is to be present across all Stamp Depots in 20 cities. Says she, ``Our objective is to have our distribution strategies implemented by all the 22 operational Circles - (each Circle is headed by a chief post master general) - across the country.''

To bolster the brand's presence in the Rs 400-crore greeting card market, the BDD will pursue a four-fold strategy: send direct mailers to corporates; scout for business through its incentive-led marketing team; seek out customers through its Website speedpost.org; and intensely work on refreshing designs and concepts (Good Luck, Happy Anniversary, Bon Voyage, Poetry etc).

The India Post had signed up with the Ahmedabad-based National School of Design for new designs, in December 2000-22. Designs have already been sent for printing. Earlier, the India Post had conducted a consumer survey in Mumbai, which revealed that customised postal cards were regarded as an upmarket yet an affordable proposition by the target audience.