FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 18 JUNE 2003

ASIAN PORTAL REDHOTCURRY.COM DELIVERS
DREAM AUDIENCES THROUGH AD 2 ONE

Asian community portal Redhotcurry.com has signed an agreement with media specialist Ad 2 One. The digital agency will sell the site's online advertising inventory. The South Asian market in the UK is lucrative; estimates put the disposable income of South Asians at £14 billion per annum making it a veritable 'dream market'. Redhotcurry.com has also compiled a guide for Advertisers to help them tap into this affluent, educated and loyal sector. The deal with Ad 2 One brings Redhotcurry.com into the same stable as portals Disney, Mothercare and TheTrainline.com.

Lopa Patel, Editor of the lifestyle portal said, "In true Indian style we hope the partnership with Ad 2 One is an ideal 'arranged marriage'. Ad 2 One has considerable skills in selling digital media and we have a rapidly growing user base of affluent South Asian readers".

Patel, who is of Indian descent but comes from East Africa, felt that the second and third generation Asian market was under-served in terms of UK specific online content. She started with simple idea of sharing cooking recipes with her friends hence the name Redhotcurry.com! The portal, launched in November 2001, mushroomed and now offers sixteen channels from news, views, money, arts and entertainment, horoscopes, fashion and beauty to health, sports, travel and culture, eating out and a food and drink section.

Changes in the Race Relations Act and a desire to embrace cultural diversity, have seen ethnic minority communities become a hot topic for hard-pressed UK business managers in the past year. Patel's own commercial background has helped her compile a handy guide entitled 'Marketing to Asians in the UK' which lists thirteen tips on how to approach the sector. The free guide is available to download from the Redhotcurry.com website.

"2002 was a watershed year for all things Asian and Redhotcurry.com feels the momentum will continue for the forseeable future," said Patel "making it important for marketers to start planning now. I know how daunting it can be venturing into a new sector so we hope that the guide is helpful in setting Advertisers on the right path".

The 2001 Census showed that the South Asian ethnic group represents 3.9% of the UK population, some 2.3 million people out of a UK population of 59 million. Overall the segment is younger than average, aspires to higher education and is more entrepreneurial. South Asians also reside largely in major urban areas like Leicester, Birmingham and Manchester with the highest concentration in London.

"In a sense South Asians are a 'dream' market for business", highlights Patel, "the problem is in finding the right channel and creative execution to engage the Asian psyche. We believe that Redhotcurry.com offers advertisers a terrific opportunity to promote their products to a captive and loyal audience". She cites testimonials from the website's guest book that has readers' comments like "fantastic work", "I love your site" and "invaluable tool". "I get several emails a day praising articles and asking for more" explains Patel, "as we are still developing two major channels, there is certainly a lot more to come for our loyal readers".

And loyalty is key. Although lifestyle profiles for Asians will take time to compile, the site does engender loyalty from South Asian men and women alike. A factor that Patel feels marketers should not underestimate. "In a rapidly changing market where else can you find an affluent, educated, balanced and loyal user base?" she asks.

Redhotcurry.com hopes that it's iconic flame logo will ignite the right idea in the minds of major UK Advertisers. From a humble beginning, Redhotcurry.com was quickly chosen by Yahoo as its 'Pick of the Week' in January 2002 with an exhortation that "rest assured, this site will tickle more than your taste buds"! Redhotcurry.com now achieves 100,000 page impressions per month and has a rapidly growing subscriber base to its monthly e-newsletter. With in excess of 5000 web pages, it has rapidly overtaken other sites in offering detailed UK-specific South Asian content.

- Ends-

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

For further details contact:
Katy Howell
Immediate Future Ltd
0845 408 2031
katy.howell@immediatefuture.co.uk

ABOUT REDHOTCURRY.COM

Redhotcurry.com is a celebration of Asian life in the UK with an informative collection of in-depth articles on race, culture, entertainment, religion, food, curry, ethnic fashion and beauty, all written with a South Asian perspective. The site covers news, views, money, business, entertainment, food and drink, health, style, sports and travel with interactive discussion groups, on-line chat, web based email and a comprehensive searchable UK South Asian restaurant directory.

http://www.redhotcurry.com - all the curry & more

ABOUT AD 2-0NE

ad 2-one UK commenced operations in January 2001, specialising in digital sales across all platforms. ad 2-one offers digital media sales expertise to deliver solutions for advertisers and maximise revenue for publishers. The site list includes Cheapflights, Disney Internet Group, Weather, BAA, MP3, The Trainline, Mothercare, NME, Ample, Reed Business Information and now Redhotcurry.com.

http://www.ad2-one.co.uk

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