Asia's largest and most rewarding online contest, the 2012 Taiwan Excellence SmarTEST! announced today, three proud citizens of India who are three finalists from stage 2 challenges, and will represent India to compete with fellow contestants from Asia to fight for the coveted title of being the "SmarTEST!" in the 2012 Taiwan Excellence SmarTEST! contest, designed to promote Taiwan Excellence to the world.
The winners were Gaurav Mittal of Delhi, Akif Khan Yusuf Zai of Delhi, and Mohsin Ahmed Batla of Delhi, respectively the first- to third-place winners after several rounds of intense battles, including online challenges as well as the national final held in Mumbai on September 17. More than 30,000 voters nationwide participated and witnessed the whole process by voting to their favorite contestants, and shared their smartest creativity and enthusiasm on Taiwan Excellence products.
Their achievements were significant considering what they had to go through to arrive at this stage of the race. The three were among the top ten selected from 5,678 of participants across India who took a 24-hour quiz testing their knowledge on Taiwan excellence during stage one of the competition. Then, during the earlier portions of stage two, the ten finalists were asked to design marketing campaigns for Taiwan Excellence products, provided by the 32 brands of the 2012 SmarTEST! such as Adata, Asus, Aver, AVerMedia, Avision, BenQ, Carnation, Cashido, Cooler Master, Crosscarf, D-Link, Edimax, Eilong, Enermax, Everlight, Genius, Gigabyte, HTC, Inadays, Just Mobile, Karma, Microlife, Optoma, PQI, PX, Shuter, Silicon Power, Strength Master, Thermaltake, Transcend, Watotec and Yensun. They were asked to upload the videos and photos of their work on the Internet, which were then voted by the netizens of India.
Then, the top six vote-getters advanced into the final rounds held in Mumbai on September 17, where they were quizzed over their knowledge of Taiwan and spoke about what they would do in their capacity as Taiwan Excellence ambassadors, in front of judges and an entire audience.
"It's been a long and difficult journey to get to this point, but it's all worth it, and I'm proud of my achievement. Challenge 4 in particular was fun, in which I had to create a jingle around the Strength Master Heart Rate Ring. Taiwan Excellence products have been an integral part of the competition and have inspired us to think smart and be innovative. I think Taiwan Excellence is really a smart choice for me, as well as for everyone. " said Gaurav Mittal, who won the title of the "SmarTEST!" person of India and will walk away with a prize of US$5,000.
"Participating in SmarTEST! 2012 has been an enthralling experience. Each and every stage was fun and challenging. I am very excited to be one of the SmarTEST! Indians to compete at the grand finale in Taipei," said second-place winner Akif Khan Yusuf Zai.
Mohsin Ahmed Batla, the third-place winner, said, "Thank you, Taiwan Excellence SmarTEST! for such an amazing chance to represent India at a global event like SmarTEST 2012. I am extremely motivated to participate in the grand finale."
The three will now form India's national team and travel to Taiwan to duke it out with fellow contestants from China, Indonesia and Vietnam for the Final Stage of competition to be held in Taipei during October 12th ~ 16th, fighting for the title of being the "SmarTEST!" team, not to mention the grand prize of US$30,000. During this stage of the competition the contestants may team up with India's celebrity endorsers, Malaika Arora Khan.
The 2012 Taiwan Excellence SmarTEST! is an annual campaign organized by Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT), Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) of Taiwan and implemented by Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) with the goal of promoting Taiwan Excellence products to the rest of the world. It is hoped through this campaign overseas consumers will gain a better understanding of these reliable, innovative and remarkable products brought by Taiwan Excellence.
The SmarTEST! website provides the most updated and exciting information on the competition. Please visit www.2012smartest.com and stay connected with us on www.facebook.com/taiwanexcellence.in or follow our twitter @TaiwanICT
About The SmarTEST!
http://www.2012smartest.com
To continue Taiwan Excellence's ongoing effort to better consumers' lives and therefore bring excellent technologies and designs to life via Taiwan Excellence's award-winning ICT, home-living, sports and leisure products, in 2012 TAITRA further partnered up with 63 Taiwan brands and initiated the "SmarTEST!" campaign in Indonesia, India, Vietnam and Mainland China. The 2012 Taiwan Excellence "The SmarTEST!" campaign, quite self-explanatory, in which the SMARTEST talents stand out from crowd, through a regional TEST, in which contestants are tested on the IQ, and knowledge related to TE (Taiwan Excellence) and its award winning brands. The SmarTEST! aims to outstand those most street-smart and the most creative minds in the four emerging markets- Indonesia, India, Vietnam, and Mainland China, and offers the contestants cash and prizes totaling US$100,000, the highest in Asia history!!
32 Taiwan international brands team up with TAITRA to support The "SmarTEST!" campaign in Indonesia. These include information& communication technology brands such as Adata, Asus, Aver, AVerMedia, Avision, BenQ, Carnation, Cashido, Cooler Master, Crosscarf, D-Link, Edimax, Eilong, Enermax, Everlight, Genius, Gigabyte, HTC, Inadays, Just Mobile, Karma, Microlife, Optoma, PQI, PX, Shuter, Silicon Power, Strength Master, Thermaltake, Transcend, Watotec and Yensun. All these brands offer the latest models to the SmarTEST! contestants to learn, try on, and experience their quality and functionalities.
About Taiwan Excellence
http://www.taiwanexcellence.com.tw/ind
Taiwan Excellence was set up in 1992 by BOFT and TAITRA to encourage Taiwan industries to upgrade and incorporate innovalue into their products. The Award of Taiwan Excellence today is the highest accolade awarded to Taiwan products that encapsulate innovalue. The symbol of Taiwan Excellence heralds Taiwan's ascent to world-class quality in product innovation, design and manufacturing, representing the highest standards which Taiwan products must meet to maintain its competitive edge in the global markets. In 2010, BOFT entrusted TAITRA to introduce Taiwan Excellence awarded innovative, reliable, and super value ICT products and brands to the rapidly developing countries and bring leading-edge technologies to the markets for excellent lifestyles. In 2012, 63 Taiwan Excellence awarded brands partnered up with TAITRA in Indonesia, India, Vietnam, and Mainland China markets.
About Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT)
http://www.trade.gov.tw
The Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) of Taiwan, which is responsible for implementing policies and regulations governing foreign trade, economic cooperation, and foreign investments. Established in January 1969, BOFT's role and position have undergone continual adjustments to meet the needs of the shifting international economic and trade environment over the past few decades. BOFT has been guiding and working with the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) in numerous trade promotion projects and activities both internationally and domestically.
About TAITRA
http://www.taitra.org.tw
Founded in 1970 to help promote foreign trade, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) is the foremost non-profit trade promotion organization in Taiwan. Jointly sponsored by the government, industry associations, and several commercial organizations, TAITRA assists Taiwan businesses and manufacturers with reinforcing their international competitiveness and in coping with the challenges they face in foreign markets. TAITRA boasts a well-coordinated trade promotion and information network of over 600 trained specialists stationed throughout its Taipei headquarters and over 50 overseas branch offices worldwide. Together with its sister organizations, Taiwan Trade Center (TTC) and Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC), TAITRA has created a wealth of trade opportunities through effective promotion strategies.
CONTACT DETAILS
Pramod Kantak, Hanmer MSL, +91 9892736183, pramod.kantak@hanmermsl.com
Pushpendra Dhansoia, Hanmer MSL, +91 9029037173, pushpendra.dhansoia@hanmermsl.com