WHEN IT comes to deepening the relationship with their fan base, it seems that today's celebrities can sniff out the best way to the purses and wallets of their devotees. This summer alone sees the launch of 10 new celebrity scents on which UK shoppers can splash their cash.

The latest scents are being launched by David and Victoria Beckham, Kylie Minogue, Kate Moss, Gwen Stefani, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Coleen McLoughlin and Sean John (the last being the fashion brand from Sean Combes, aka rap star P Diddy). Most will hope to establish themselves as a must-have in the lead-up to Christmas.

Given the recent explosion of such scents, it may not be long before celeb smells' start to regularly outsell traditional perfumes. However, brand experts maintain that sales are secondary to establishing a deeper brand relationship with the public.

Will all this result in the sweet smell of success for the celebs, or will they kick up a stink if the marketing whizzes prove to have got it wrong?

EVER wondered what it's like to be one of those people who buttonhole you at this time of year in Edinburgh and try to hand you a flyer for their Fringe show? Maybe not, but you can find out by logging on to a game by marketing agency Civic and winning yourself tickets to see comedian Ricky Gervais in the process.

The game, which can be accessed at www.civicuk.com, is played against a backdrop of Edinburgh's Old Town and sees participants trying to hand out flyers to both locals and tourists, who are racing around the Royal Mile. The player achieving the highest score registered by the end of the week will win a pair of tickets to see Gervais perform at Edinburgh Castle in a week's time.

Fans bombarded the Fringe and Gilded Balloon websites when tickets for the show went on sale, with around 3000 sold in less than half an hour. A number have since appeared on eBay, with one pair allegedly going for three times the original price.

The aptly named Michelin-star chef Tom Kitchin has cooked up an award for Perth College which he attended before embarking on his stellar career working in some of the world's finest restaurants.

The Kitchin Perpetual Challenge Trophy will be presented annually to the student who excels in the college's City & Guild certificate in professional cookery course.

Agenda would like to extend its congratulations to the first winner of the trophy, Rory Lovie, who also has the opportunity to spend a week with Tom Kitchin in the kitchen at The Kitchin restaurant in Leith. But if names dictate careers, as in his mentor's case, surely Rory Lovie should be on the stage?

And talking of the stage, one of the more interesting "acts" appearing at the Edinburgh festival is, uh, Malaysia. The country, which is one of the fastest growing economies in Asia, has set its sights on the capital to further boost its visitor numbers.

In its first major programme of events outside London, Tourism Malaysia is setting up a huge Malaysian Pavillion' in Castle Street during the week running up to the country's independence day on August 31.

The international campaign Visit Malaysia Year 2007 is expected to increase the number of visitors to the country this year to 20.1 million from 1.55 million.

Tourism Malaysia director Razip Hasan says any Scots visiting his country will feel right at home. "All over Malaysia you come across Scottish influences and legacies," he says.