Kia Motors America (KMA) today unveiled the all-new 2017 Optima Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) at the Chicago Auto Show. Kia’s first PHEV joined two other fuel-efficient additions to the brand’s growing line-up of eco-friendly vehicles, including the all-new 2017 Niro Hybrid Utility Vehicle (HUV) and all-new 2017 Optima Hybrid (HEV), all three of which are being introduced under the Kia Motors EcoDynamics environmentally friendly sub-brand. A host of new technologies and features in the Kia Optima PHEV, including a more powerful hybrid engine, a smarter and more robust telematics system, exterior design enhancements, and greater interior refinement, all combine to deliver a superior hybrid drive experience.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7731854-kia-optima-plug-in-hybrid-chicago-auto-show/
Although the NHS is ranked as one of the institutions that makes people ‘most proud to be British’1, a new poll commissioned by Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd, highlights that 91% of people feel that the health service is in need of change2. In particular, shorter waiting times (36% of respondents) and improved access to medicines (30%) rank most highly as the areas in need of greatest reform.
With only 1 in 4 of respondents agreeing that the Government currently spends enough on health, the survey reveals that those polled would be willing to accept an average charge of £10 for a missed GP appointment in order to improve service levels. The people polled also said they would be willing to pay an average of £170 per year in additional income tax for healthcare funding – which could result in approximately £5 billion in additional tax revenue for the Treasury3. In addition to these charges, 39% of those polled would be willing to accept an additional charge if it meant quicker access to healthcare services and 44% of those polled would be willing to accept additional charges if it meant access to newer and potentially more effective medicines.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7753151-astellas-survey-public-support-nhs-concern/
Continuing the excitement of the Esurance Pass It On Sweepstakes, which kicked off on Feb. 4 and selected 16 winners of $50,000 throughout tonight’s game, Esurance released a new post-game television commercial announcing it is giving away a grand prize of $250,000 to one lucky winner. To win the final $250,000 giveaway, people can continue to Retweet messages from the Esurance Twitter handle tagged #EsuranceSweepstakes.
Esurance surprised viewers with a television commercial that aired immediately after tonight’s game featuring a special cameo from Deadpool catching a football made of money. The character is the titular anti-hero in 20th Century Fox’s DEADPOOL, which opens in theaters everywhere this Friday, and stars Ryan Reynolds. Throughout the ad, Deadpool and others continue to drop everything they are doing to catch the football and “pass it on,” much like how Esurance saves money and passes the savings on to its customers every day. As part of the Allstate family, Esurance has innovative technology and knowledgeable experts to take care of customers and help them make smart decisions about their insurance.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7750152-esurance-pass-it-on-post-game/
The countdown to Super Bowl 50 has begun! As fans nationwide finalize their Super Bowl Sunday plans and snacks starting lineup, it’s hard to choose which delicious dishes make the final cut! Will it be helmet shaped cookies? Or football fields made from guacamole and sour cream? Once you have your half-time snacks lined up, it’s also important to not fumble when it comes to the perfect beverage.
This year, why not try a new spin on an old favorite with some Fizzology, an innovative approach that reimagines the way you can enjoy soda through non-alcoholic mixology. Fizzology combines unexpected flavors and ingredients that excite your taste buds – imagine sprinkles and shredded coconut topping your favorite Pepsi soda. It’s a great way to be creative and playful in how you experience and enjoy drinking a soda – especially when you’re watching Super Bowl 50!
Whether you are celebrating at home or in the stadium, you can elevate your Super Bowl 50 experience by bringing some fizzology to the party. At the NFL Experience in San Francisco visit F!ZZ, a playful celebration of bubbles with unexpected ingredient combinations -- including flavor shots, bursts, garnishes and foams -- creating a fun, adventurous way for consumers to deconstruct and reconstruct soda.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7743251-pepsi-fizz-drinks-super-bowl-50/
Launched in January, Flatbed Cider Co. (www.flatbedcider.com) offers consumers an all-new craft cider made from the apples that made the Northwest famous around the world. The company’s two offerings, a Crisp Apple Cider and a Pear Cider are now available at restaurants and retailers throughout Washington State and Oregon.
While various hard ciders have been produced in the U.S. since the repeal of prohibition, the Northwest has recently become the epicenter of a craft cider revolution. Since 2012, cider’s popularity has grown more than 60 percent each year, with the strongest growth happening in Washington State and Oregon¹. Flatbed ferments its hard ciders from local, whole-pressed apples—rather than the apple juice concentrate used by many brands—and limits the time from branch to bottle to minimize oxidation and maximize Flatbed’s bright, rustic apple character.
Flatbed’s Crisp Apple Cider has a drier taste profile than most widely-available ciders in the U.S. Flatbed Crisp Apple Cider is all-natural, with no added sugar or artificial ingredients and is naturally gluten-free. Jonagold apples picked at their peak deliver the balance and acidity behind Flatbed’s exceptionally bright taste while Red Delicious apples provide tannin structure. Golden Delicious apples add a rustic apple character with a twist of subtle sweetness. And, heirloom varietals like Newtown Pippins and Gravensteins—which are hand-selected from batch-to-batch—add bucolic Northwest charm to the blend. Thanks to its bright acidity and drier flavor profile, Flatbed’s Crisp Apple Cider pairs with nearly anything that comes from the sea, farm or food cart. The Crisp Apple Cider is currently available in a 6-pack of 12-ounce bottles with an SRP of $10.99.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7409455-flatbed-cider-northwest-launch/
People all over the world can play on their smartphone or tablet a new game where five-time FIFA World Player Award winner Lionel Messi should overcome various missions. Playing the Messi Space Scooter Game gamers can win prizes like signed football shirts or a meet & greet with the best football player in the world himself.
For his achievements on the football pitch Messi recently received his fifth Ballon d’Or. In the Messi Space Scooter Game he travels with aliens in UFOs from the stadium to unknown worlds, where his scooter skills are tested during various missions.
Messi jumps over rocks, bridges and other obstacles, makes somersaults, stoops to drive through tunnels and is dodging rockets and monsters. Of course he is allowed to shoot balls to get a free passage. Along the way he collects coins and other things that gain points, with which players can win prizes.
Those vary from Messi Space Scooters, autographed football shirts and other sports gear to the grand prize: an all-inclusive trip to Barcelona for a meet & greet with Messi himself. The free game can be downloaded in the App Store or the Google Play Store.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7750451-messi-space-scooter-game/
Some say that when China sneezes the rest of the world catches cold, but the biggest luxury brands are catching on in China, becoming the most exclusive and desirable ones in fashion according to the wealthiest Chinese women. Still, our ranking also reveals a stronger competition that is accentuated by the wealthy customers’ increasingly stronger maturity. This barometer Promise Consulting / BNP Exane classifies the 15 most exclusive and desirable brands in China in the universe of feminine Fashion. This Barometer is conducted amongst the wealthiest Chinese women, and is about the 30 luxury brands in ready-to-wear/handbags/shoes/accessories that have invested the most in communication (source: Industry Interviews, Exane Paribas). Promise and BNP Exane already conducted the same survey amongst French women in May 2015 (http://bit.ly/1ESTZGu).
”This barometer in association with BNP Exane reflects our determination to move closer to the marketing and cross-section financial analysis. Our Monitoring Brand Assets® approach itself features very complementary analyzes with those conducted by BNP Exane’s experts. Hence, the obtained results from our joined barometer are based on two different angles of expertise, marketing and financial, which brings a unique added value to the managers and decision-makers in the Luxury sector. More concretely, our measure of the exclusivity of a brand takes into account the upper and more constant quality of products, the strong and unique valuation of the customer, the brand’s prestige, but also a matchless “savoir-faire” that justifies a very high price premium associated with top luxury. Finally, our measure of desirability synthesizes the dimensions of attractiveness of an intimate, social and symbolic nature, which are the strengths of exclusive brands, and characterize the particular relation that they maintain with their customers. In this respect, our Barometer synthesizes, in two proven scales, the numerous criteria to establish a ranking between the high-end brands from their customer’s point of view", states Pr. Philippe Jourdan, Promise’s CEO.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7727851-exclusivity-desirability-luxury-brands/
In recognition of their extraordinary accomplishments in furthering NASA’s mission of exploration and discovery, veteran astronauts Brian Duffy and Scott Parazynski have been selected for induction into the elite United States Astronaut Hall of Fame®. The announcement was made today at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex by Dan Brandenstein, Hall of Fame astronaut and board chairman of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, which oversees the induction selection process.
Duffy and Parazynski will be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex beginning with the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation Gala on the evening of May 13 and culminating with a public ceremony on May 14 at 2 p.m. that will be attended by a roster of astronaut legends.
Both Duffy and Parazynski make up the 15th group of space shuttle astronauts to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and both flew aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis, which is now located at the visitor complex and will be the site of the induction ceremony in May. Adding the two veteran astronauts to the Hall of Fame will bring the total number of astronauts inducted to 93.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7748851-kennedy-space-center-astronaut-hall-of-fame/
“Small Business Big Game" Ad Winner
Ad spending for commercials during Super Bowl 50, set to broadcast on CBS on Feb. 7, will total a record $377 million, according to Advertising Age Datacenter’s estimates. That’s more than the combined spend on all Super Bowl ads in the 1960s, '70s and '80s with a total of $299 million.
For all those interested in the pop culture phenomenon sure to unfold during Super Bowl’s commercial breaks, Advertising Age has launched its Super Bowl 50 Special Report. The hub, which will be updated daily before and several days after the game, is chock-full of news, trends, data and videos about the evolution of Super Bowl commercials over the last 50 years. It also includes a chart that lists every advertiser appearing during commercial breaks.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7737551-advertising-age-super-bowl-ad-trends/
Three of the Internet’s most beloved pets are teaming up to help the millions of cats and dogs in shelters and rescue groups across the country find loving homes. Fashion icon Toast Meets World, globally recognized pianist Keyboard Cat and life of the party Hamilton Pug are lending their star power to “Start A Story. Adopt,” a new public service advertising (PSA) campaign from The Shelter Pet Project, a collaborative effort between Maddie’s Fund®, The Humane Society of the United States and the Ad Council.
Toast Meets World, Keyboard Cat and Hamilton Pug receive millions of views, likes and shares on social media, but most people don’t know they were adopted. Created pro bono by J. Walter Thompson New York, these new PSAs share these pets’ unique stories, which all began in shelters and rescue groups, and highlight the special bonds between the pets and their families. Prospective owners are encouraged to visit TheShelterPetProject.org to learn more about the adoption process and search for adoptable pets at shelters and rescue groups near them. Adoption advocates are also encouraged to support the effort on social media by using the hashtag #StartAStoryAdopt to share stories of how their shelter pets changed their lives for the better and to encourage others to start their own stories by adopting an amazing shelter dog or cat today.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7747051-ad-council-shelter-pets-project/
Tourism Australia has launched its latest campaign, which is focused on highlighting the country’s world-class aquatic and coastal experiences, in a bid to lure more international visitors to Australia.
The new creative, the latest instalment in Tourism Australia’s global There’s Nothing like Australia campaign, was officially unveiled at an event in New York on Australia Day eve attended by Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs the Hon. Julie Bishop.
Guests at the event were treated to immersive ‘virtual reality’ displays and aquatic-themed images being projected onto the ice rink at the famous Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park alongside the reveal of a new broadcast ad, featuring a voiceover by Australian actor and new Tourism Australia global ambassador Chris Hemsworth. The event was hosted by Australian chef Curtis Stone and guests enjoyed a specially designed Australian menu by Luke Mangan.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7742051-tourism-australia/
In the impressive conference center of the Milad Tower rising over Tehran’s roofs the 16th Energy Globe World Awards have been handed over in an international gala. Vice President Mrs. Masoumeh Ebtekar referred in her speech to the importance of such awards for outstanding environmental projects and their implementation. This event is the starting signal for intensified efforts concerning sustainability in Iran which is underlined by an expansion program for Renewables and energy efficiency. Also Maneka Gandhi emphasized that a sustainable change in our world can’t be achieved by talks or laws but only by taking action as showed by the Energy Globe submissions.
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and presenter Prof. Munasinghe said: It is necessary that poor and rich countries take each other’s hand in order to exchange experiences and support each other.
3 nominees respectively from all 5 continents competed in the 5 categories Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Youth. The nominees have been chosen from around 2000 submissions from 177 countries.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7740251-masoumeh-ebtekar-awarded-best-projects/