MUMBAI: South African Tourism, the national tourism agency responsible for the marketing of South Africa as a preferred tourist destination, has recently appointed Avian Media, a specialist communications consultancy, as their public relations agency. This prestigious account win will compliment accounts like IATA and Yatra.com that the agency already services.

Avian Media through various PR tools will aid South African Tourism to market South Africa‘s scenic beauty, diverse wildlife, kaleidoscope of cultures and heritages, sport and adventure opportunities, eco-tourism and conference facilities. In addition, the team will support the communications mandate for workshops for South African vendors and their counterparts in India as well as consumer promotions to reach out to the target groups that are inclined to explore South Africa.

Says Evelyn Mahlaba, Regional Director: Asia, Australia and Americas, South African Tourism, ?We were looking for a public relations partner with expertise and a deep understanding of the travel and tourism sector and who could support us strategically to meet our business goals. The pitch presentation made by Avian Media was in line with our communication approach and a good feedback on the agency from our peers in the industry supplemented our decision to engage them as our agency. We look forward to Avian Media?s strong commitment to delivery and their innovative approach in planning and executing successful campaigns.?

Commenting on the client win, Nitin Mantri, CEO, Avian Media said, ?We are pleased that South African Tourism has chosen Avian Media as their Public Relations partner to look after their Indian mandate. Our existing expertise in the travel and tourism vertical will help us deliver a strong campaign. The team is committed to surpass their expectation and is geared for long and successful association.?

The new client will help Avian Media further augment its diverse client portfolio which spans across sectors such as Travel & Tourism, Aviation, Defence, Auto, Infrastructure, Finance, Sports, Lifestyle, Hospitality and Community Development. With experience in various verticals, enhanced emphasis on quality deliverables through innovative planning and execution successful campaigns, the agency envisions being one of the most reputed agencies in India in the coming years.

MUMBAI: iVdopia (www.ivdopia.com), the largest video and rich media mobile advertising network, today announced that it has received the Red Herring Global 100 award. The honor recognizes the leading private companies from North America, Europe and Asia, celebrating these startups? innovations and technologies across their respective industries.

?The honor of being recognized with Red Herring?s Global 100 list adds to the chorus that sees how iVdopia is changing mobile video and rich media advertising for brand advertisers and agencies today across Smartphones,? says Chhavi Upadhyay, COO of iVdopia. ?This is merely the beginning of the mobile advertising revolution. 2011 will see iVdopia introducing even more eye-grabbing innovations and product developments that will drive incredible engagement for users, like never before.?

Red Herring?s Global 100 list has become a mark of distinction for identifying promising new companies and entrepreneurs. Red Herring editors were among the first to recognize that companies such as Google, Skype, Netscape, Salesforce.com, YouTube, eBay and many others would change the way we live and work.

?Choosing the best out of the previous three years was by no means a small feat,? said Alex Vieux, Chairman of Red Herring. ?After rigorous contemplation and discussion, we narrowed down our list from 1,200 potential companies to 200 finalists. Trying to get it down to 100 companies was a task upon itself. iVdopia should be extremely proud of its achievement, the competition was difficult.?

Red Herring?s editorial staff evaluated the companies on both quantitative and qualitative criteria, such as financial performance, technology innovation, management quality, strategy, and market penetration. This assessment of potential is complemented by a review of the track record and standing of startups relative to their sector peers, allowing Red Herring to see past the ?buzz? and make the list an invaluable instrument of discovery and advocacy for the greatest business opportunities from around the world.

MUMBAI: The 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, one of the awards season?s premier events, will honor outstanding performances from 2010 in five film categories and eight television categories, including the distinctive ensemble awards.

The ceremony will be showcased exclusively in India by Zee Studio on 12th February 2011 at 9 PM.

The presentation of this year?s SAG Awards marks Zee Studio?s third consecutive telecast of this prestigious industry event.

Jason Bateman, Jon Hamm, Nicole Kidman, Jeremy Renner, Sofia Vergara and Robin Wright will be presenters at the 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. They join a growing roster of actors who will honor their colleagues at the 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards that already includes Scott Bakula, Alec Baldwin, Jeff Bridges, Tim Conway, Rosario Dawson, Josh Duhamel, Angie Harmon, Eva Longoria, Cory Monteith, Amy Poehler, Hilary Swank, Betty White and SAG President Ken Howard.

A highlight of the evening will be the presentation of Screen Actors Guild?s 2010, 47th Life Achievement Award to Ernest Borgnine by Tim Conway. The accolade celebrates both career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment.

Each year at the SAG Awards, the red carpet and showroom fill with who?s who of the entertainment industry as the casts of the year?s best-acted films and television series come together with industry leaders to meet, mingle and cheer their colleagues. Set within an intimate dinner-party atmosphere, the event is an evening of spirited camaraderie, glamorous fashion, warm reunions, spontaneous laughter and shared respect. Unlike other awards ceremonies, the SAG Awards puts its focus squarely on the actors, from the signature opening montage of ?Actors? Stories? to the acceptance speeches in which Actor? recipients speak from the heart to their peers. The Screen Actors Guild Awards are closely watched by the industry as a precursor of possible Oscar? and Emmy? recognition and by viewers as an emotional, memorable night of live television.

The 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards is produced by Jeff Margolis Productions in association with Screen Actors Guild Awards, LLC.

MUMBAI: Emirates Airline, the award winning international airline today launched an innovative contest for its Indian travellers who are planning an international vacation this summer. The contest valid from February 07, 2011 till March 10, 2011 promotes travel to distinctive holiday destinations this summer season - to explore nature and adventure in Africa, experience the versatile America and witness the scenic views in Europe via Dubai.

The 360 degree campaign which includes print, outdoor, digital and television commercials conceptualised by Mudra Group; revolves around the thought ?Guess where, and Emirates will fly you there!? The campaign invites participants have to identify the name of the city by taking cues of the visual representation in the advertisement and enter the contest either by SMSing or logging onto emirates.com/fly there to submit their answers. Towards the end of seven days, one winner from across India will be rewarded with a Free Return Economy Class ticket to the destination answered accurately by him/her. The campaign targeted at frequent travellers, aims at offering 15 free tickets to 15 popular holiday destinations in United States of America, Europe or Africa. (Viz: Americas- New york, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto; Europe- Venice, Paris,Munich, London, Athens, Madrid, Prague, Amsterdam; Africa- nairobi, Cape town, Cairo

The interactive creatives were developed by Tapan Sharma, Director of tantr.

Commenting on the unique campaign, Mr. Orhan Abbas, Vice President- India and Nepal, Emirates Airlines said; ?We regularly introduce out of the box campaigns to engage with our travellers through tactical offers and promotions. Our campaign has been introduced at a time to coincide with the travel plans of our customers who are keen on a splendid vacation away from the scorching heat.?

?Curiosity about the world is often what induces people to travel. This campaign provokes that in the viewers by intriguing them with interesting glimpses of different lands. In doing so it builds on the Emirates core thought, ?Keep discovering?? Added Mr. Bobby Pawar, Chief Creative Officer, Mudra.

Emirates operates 184 weekly flights to 10 Indian destinations providing greater convenience and comfort to passengers connecting them to 109 destinations across the 65 countries in the Emirates? global network via Dubai. Emirates was voted ?India?s favourite international airline? in the recent TripAdvisor India Airline preferences survey.
 

MUMBAI: Close on the heels of being recognized as ?India?s best known technology PR consulting firm? in Paul Writer?s Red Book of Tech PR in December last year, Text 100 (India), a leading global PR consultancy, has continued its winning streak with the addition of another premium award. The 5th INDY?S Awards for Excellence in Mass Communication has adjudged Text 100 (India) as the ?PR Agency of the Year 2010?, for outstanding contribution in the field of public relations, marketing and branding. The award ceremony was held at the Taj Land?s End in Mumbai on 9th February 2011.

Commenting on the recognition, Sunayna Malik, Managing Director, Text 100 India said, ?Bagging the INDY?S is a great feeling and a fitting testimony to Text 100?s contribution in the public relations space in India.?

?Such industry recognitions strengthen our resolve and commitment to be the most influential advisor to progressive companies across industry segments that use technology as a competitive advantage. We definitely want to be the agency that everyone associates with the future of communications and lead our industry?s transformation. Text 100 will continue to raise the bar and offer creative solutions to our clients enabling them to achieve their business goals?, added Sunayna.

Text 100?s people centric culture, fun and results-driven approach and an unwavering focus on delivering client satisfaction have resulted in a plethora of awards over the years. Some recent awards & recognitions in the APAC region include:

? The Holmes Report‘s ?Best Agency to Work For, 2009?

? ?Asia Pacific Technology Consultancy of the Year, 2009?

? Marketing Magazine?s ?Top 10 PR Agency in Singapore, 2009?

? ?Winner Consumer Launch Campaign of the Year 2010 Asia Pacific PR Awards?

? ?Excellent Award Best Use of Digital 2010 Asia Pacific PR Awards?

MUMBAI: When James Martin is in the kitchen it?s like being at a trendy catering college ? albeit with a very dishy private tutor. But he?s not just a pretty face! The cookery on Saturday Kitchen is well-judged ? food that can be bought and cooked on the day, and grace the dinner table that night.

In each episode, the energetic James plays host to guest chefs and celebrities. As they undergo a series of culinary challenges, will they be voted into ?food heaven? or consigned to ?food hell??

The international cast of chefs undertake the Omelette Challenge, a hilarious race against the clock where Michelin stars don?t mean anything! Some star chefs take it so seriously they practice for hours beforehand. Guest chefs include MasterChef Goes Large?s John Torode, Ollie Rowe from The Urban Chef, London restaurateur Antonio Carluccio, Ken Hom, James Tanner and Rachel Allen.