Letter-writing has been on a downward spiral due to technological
innovations such as email that promise instant replies. Little wonder
that it is now called snail mail. Given that so much of the world's
literature and even history has been garnered from these paper missives
that once traipsed the world in their sturdy envelopes, serious efforts
to keep this mode of communication alive were necessary.
In the general endeavour to keep mail flowing, however, the crucial role played by a certain component has hitherto been glossed over: stamps. Therefore, the Belgian government's initiative to push the envelope by giving stamp glue a chocolate taste as well as aroma deserves to be commended as the act of licking stamps to stick them has scarcely been an edifying activity so far.
Choosing a flavour that, at the same time, pushes Belgian supremacy in an area where it faces competition from Switzerland and France is nothing short of genius. By incorporating a chocolatey taste, it has gone one better than Switzerland's chocolate-scented stamps and Brazil's coffee-scented ones, both launched in 2001. India's postal department had released sandalwood-, rose- and jasmine-scented stamps between 2006 and 2008, and Bhutan had done their rose-scented one back in 1973.
Now it is time to identify some flavours that will lick the opposition and prompt the younger generation to give their stamp of approval to letters. Magazines have long had scratch-and-sniff advertisements for perfumes, so using the same stuff on stamps was an extension worthy of emulation, but taste could be the game-changer. Indeed, if every country can devise signature smells and tastes to tempt their citizenry to buy stamps, it could give tasteless, aroma-less cyber communication real competition.
In the general endeavour to keep mail flowing, however, the crucial role played by a certain component has hitherto been glossed over: stamps. Therefore, the Belgian government's initiative to push the envelope by giving stamp glue a chocolate taste as well as aroma deserves to be commended as the act of licking stamps to stick them has scarcely been an edifying activity so far.
Choosing a flavour that, at the same time, pushes Belgian supremacy in an area where it faces competition from Switzerland and France is nothing short of genius. By incorporating a chocolatey taste, it has gone one better than Switzerland's chocolate-scented stamps and Brazil's coffee-scented ones, both launched in 2001. India's postal department had released sandalwood-, rose- and jasmine-scented stamps between 2006 and 2008, and Bhutan had done their rose-scented one back in 1973.
Now it is time to identify some flavours that will lick the opposition and prompt the younger generation to give their stamp of approval to letters. Magazines have long had scratch-and-sniff advertisements for perfumes, so using the same stuff on stamps was an extension worthy of emulation, but taste could be the game-changer. Indeed, if every country can devise signature smells and tastes to tempt their citizenry to buy stamps, it could give tasteless, aroma-less cyber communication real competition.
Source : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com
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