Launch Group

AUSTRALIAN THINKERS STEP INTO THE TED SPOTLIGHT

noreply@blogger.com (Launch Management Group) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 06:40:00 +0000

TEDxSydney by General ThinkingSaturday 22 May 2010 at CarriageWorks

The Sydney based General Thinking network is proud to announce its inaugural TEDxSydney event, to be held at CarriageWorks in Sydney's Eveleigh on Saturday 22 May 2010. Globally acknowledged as one of the world's most influential new media brands, TED and its offshoot TEDx program is a US based not-for-profit enterprise devoted to the propagation of "Ideas Worth Spreading."

TEDxSydney 2010 will offer a coveted speaking platform to 20 of Australia's leading innovators and thinkers, both well known and yet to be discovered.

The free event will be attended by an invitation only audience of 650 changemakers, innovators, thinkers, creatives, cultural leaders, social pioneers and TED enthusiasts. Half of the seats will be allocated to members of the public via an application process available at TEDxSydney.com. TED devotees from Australia and around the world will be able to tune into the event via a free, live webstream.

TEDxSydney is being organised by Sydney retail pioneer, Remo Giuffre (REMO General Store) and his General Thinking network of thinkers and collaborators.

"TED is a unique learning environment which pays homage to the potency of ideas," said Giuffre "Speakers are invited to the stage based on the merit of their ideas and TEDxSydney continues this tradition. For TEDxSydney we felt that we would establish a platform for local thinkers, doers and storytellers. We consider our role to be that of talent scouts; unearthing people from this part of the world, who inspire, and through their ideas and actions, make a powerful contribution to life on earth."

For more information and to view the entire press release please press the link:
TEDxSydney_Media_Release_6_April.doc

GREATER SYDNEY PARTNERSHIP LTD APPOINTS PETER HOLMES A COURT FOUNDING CHAIRMAN

noreply@blogger.com (Launch Management Group) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 06:58:00 +0000

The Directors of the Greater Sydney Partnership Limited announced today the appointment of Peter Holmes a Court as Founding Chairman.

The Greater Sydney Partnership is an independent, not-for-profit, limited company, with seed funding from the NSW State Government and other public and private sector stakeholders. The three founding partners are the Committee for Sydney, the Sydney Business Chamber and the Tourism & Transport Forum.

Greater Sydney Partnership Director Christopher Brown said the Partnership has grown out of eighteen months work researching the views, interests and ideas of stakeholders within Australia and around the world.

"Peter Holmes `a Court was a natural choice for the role of Chairman. Peter is both a passionate ambassador for Sydney, and a wonderful representation of our next generation of Australian leaders. He has a breadth of experience here and overseas as a business leader, an entrepreneur, an advisor to government and a community advocate," Brown said.

"The new independent structure will ensure the significant work completed to-date will be allowed to flourish in an apolitical environment, exclusively focused around the interests of greater Sydney."

The launch of the Greater Sydney Partnership will take place on 30th April at Carriageworks, Sydney.

Welcome to Future Forum

noreply@blogger.com (Launch Management Group) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 03:56:00 +0000

"The Future of Television"

How we are likely to consume television in future years?
What will drive this change?
How quickly can we begin to enjoy the furit of technological developments within Australia and overseas?

Join our free live interactive webcast featuring:

Mark Scott - Managing Director ABC

James Scott - Managing Director, Media and Entertainment Industry APAC, Accenture

Mikael Borglund - CEO, Beyond

Rob Leach - Head of MCN Connect, MCN

Chris Albrecht - Editor, NewTeeVee.com

Moderated by Bridie Barry - Sky News Business Channel & Media week co-host

Friday 29 January 2010 at noon - Register here -->http://www.viocorp.com/future_forum

Register to tune into Viocorp's free online broadcast, for a lively debate on the future of Television.

FAREWELL NOUGHTY, MAKE WAY FOR THE "TEENIES" - Community-minded Gen Z will stamp its identity on the next decade

noreply@blogger.com (Launch Management Group) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:30:00 +0000

Media Release

FAREWELL NOUGHTY, MAKE WAY FOR THE "TEENIES"

Community-minded Gen Z will stamp its identity on the next decade

5 January 2010: It's no surprise Australia's next generation of teenagers have given their imprimatur to names like "the Teenies" or the "Teenties" for the decade ahead. With Generation Z poised to vote,enter the workforce, and become the focus of consumer targeting, this will be their decade.

Other names for the new decade, suggested in a recent survey of more than 2,000 Australian teenagers aged between 12 and 18 years, included: "the uncertainties" and the "tormenting teens." The online research was conducted last week by the world's largest virtual world for teens, Habbo Hotel. A combination of virtual world, game and social media site, Habbo Hotel has more than 4.4 million registered characters in Australia and more than 155 million worldwide.

Indepth research by Habbo Hotel into the attitudes and behavior of Generation Z suggests a more cautious, conservative and community-minded group of young adults is emerging, in contrast to the fame and fortune seeking Generation Y.[1]

"Generation Z is certainly emerging as more of a 'we' generation than the 'me' generation,, said Jeff Brookes Regional Director Asia Pacific, Sulake (Sulake owns Habbo Hotel). "On the whole, they have a strong sense of community and social justice values, and they tend to see through the superficial fairly quickly. For example, they are more likely to see their parents as role models, rather than celebrities or sporting stars. They also regard fairness and the absence of discrimination in the workplace as more important than money or status.

"Despite a high level of concern around issues such as the sustainability of the environment, they are showing up as cautiously optimistic overall," he said.

Key research findings around Generation Z:

Generation Z's most popular goal for 2010 is "just being happy." Also on the New Year's list were resolutions around friendships, fitness and school performance. The classic New Year's resolutions around: weight, romance and money were much lower down the list.
Most teens summed up 2009 as "a year full of surprises." However, any doom and gloom outlook caused by the global financial crisis was absent from teens responses with only 6% calling it "a sad year." More teens claimed it was their "best year ever" (11%) than 4% classifying it as their "worst year ever" (4%). "a difficult year" (15%) as those who claimed it was "a fun year."
The majority of teens (31%) said they are excited about 2010 with 23% saying they will "just wait and see" what the year holds for them and 19% saying they weren't sure what to expect. 15% of teens surveyed said they were nervous about 2010.

Environmental issues:

81% of teens say they are concerned about the environment
Almost one third claim they're more worried about global warming than their parents
Only 11% are happy about the job world leaders are doing about global warming issues; 20% are happy with the job the Australian political leaders are doing
90% of teens believe Australia should be investing in renewable technologies
85% believe they could personally be doing more to help the environment.

If Australia lowers the voting age, will teens vote?

More than half (51%) of teens under 18 said they would be interested in voting and having their say, 6% were unsure and only 13% said no they would not be interested in voting. A further 27% said they wanted to vote - but only when they turn 18 years old.
Almost 66% of Australia's teens say they are interested in politics.
Half (50%) of Australia's teens say they will make independent choices about who they vote for - without the influence of their parents. 22% say they haven't decided whether they will follow their parents voting habits, and 10% say they don't know who their parents vote for.

Teenglish - Habbo's top 25 Buzz teenglish words for 2009:

1. diss - Disrespect
2. fail - Either to show disapproval for something or when someone does fail at something. Sometimes spelt with a "ph" and "epic fail" (or "epic phail") is the highest form of failing.
3. ftw - For the win, used to show enthusiasm for something i.e kittens FTW
4. hai - Hi
5. idc - I don’t care
6. idk - I don’t know
7. ily - love you
8. irl - In real life
9. jks - Jokes
10. k or kk - Ok
11. meh - Indifference, couldn’t care less
12. noob - A new person, newbie but often used to make fun of anyone they don't like
13. pwn, pwned, pwnage - To own someone, beat them at a game or when someone has been taught a lesson.
14. plz - Please
15. props - Proper respect
16. rents, rentz or rentals - Parents
17. rofl - Roll on the floor laughing
18. soz - Sorry
19. srs - Serious, seriously
20. sup - What's up? What's happening? (Normally used: "hey sup")
21. tbh - To be honest
22. totes - Totally
23. ty - Thank you
24. w.e - Whatever
25. zomg - Something even more amazing or shocking than omg

-ends-

Further information: Sally Robertson (02) 9492 1089 or mobile: 0400 927 003

About Habbo Hotel: www.habbo.com.au Habbo Hotel is the world's largest virtual world for teens. Users join by creating a fully customized online character called a Habbo. From there, they can explore many public spaces and thousands of rooms created by other users in the virtual world, play a variety of games, connect with friends, decorate their own rooms, and have fun through creativity and self expression. Currently there are Habbo communities in 31 countries on six continents. To date, over 155 million characters have been created and over 15 million unique users worldwide visit Habbo Hotel each month.

[1] Comprehensive online research on thousands of teens in Australia and around the world demonstrates there is a sub generation of youths with markedly different characteristics and value systems to that of their Gen Y predecessors. The findings are part of nine separate surveys, each of which included an average of 2,000 participants aged 12 to 18 years‐old undertaken by Habbo Hotel during 2009. The research was conducted by Habbo Hotel Australia and developed and analysed by Launch Group.

The Next Generation has Landed

noreply@blogger.com (Launch Management Group) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:38:00 +0000

Youth Forum Releases Unique Research Defining "Generation Z"

Informed purchasers: Gen Z love advertising, but research carefully before deciding
Gen Z cares less about fame & fortune than Gen Y & more about enjoying their work
Brands must align with Gen Z values: altruistic, environmentally aware & community-minded

Move over Baby Boomers, enough of Gen Y, 'Generation Z' is the influential new consumer group to watch, Singapore's leading marketers, government representatives and top youth brands were told at the Next Generation forum.

The Forum unveiled the results of more than 12 months of research into the characteristics, values and media and brand consumption habits of Singapore youth currently in the teenage demographic - otherwise known as Generation Z.

The comprehensive online research features responses from thousands of teens in Singapore, South East Asia and around the world, and demonstrates there is a sub generation of youths with markedly different characteristics and value systems to that of their Gen Y predecessors. (Generation Y is a globally recognised name for the high profile generation of youth currently aged between 19 and 30 years old.)

For more information and to view the entire press release please press the link:
GenZFINAL.DOC

Launch Group Supports Movember

noreply@blogger.com (Launch Management Group) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:11:00 +0000

Movember is a fantastic Aussie initiative (now gone global). This annual, month-long celebration of the moustache, highlights men's health issues, specifically prostate cancer and depression in men. (See: www.movember.com)

Mo Bros, supported by their Mo Sistas, start Movember clean shaven and then have the remainder of the month to grow and groom their moustache. During Movember, each Mo Bro effectively becomes a walking billboard for men-s health and, via their Mo, raises essential funds and awareness for Movember's men's health partners - The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and beyondblue - the national depression initiative.

Launch Group share this classic and clever MO-vertisement ... in honour of all the Mo Bros. (Don't mind the subtitles.)

Visit --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2EdEDVej2A&translated=1

NEW RESEARCH: The Financially Responsible Generation, With an Appetite for Credit

noreply@blogger.com (Launch Management Group) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:12:00 +0000

Half of Australian teens already saving for cars and houses

More than a third of Australian teens pay their own mobile phone bills

'Credit 101' still required to educate teenagers about credit and debt

New research jointly released today by Veda Advantage, Australia's largest credit bureau, and teen researcher Habbo, reveals our next generation of spenders. Generation Z are happy to save, and are more cautious about spending than their Gen Y predecessors, however they lack in some areas of financial knowledge.

The nationally representative online study of almost 2000 teenagers aged between 12 and 18 years, conducted by teenage researcher Habbo found Australian teenagers have strong convictions about paying bills on time, and 'do not like owing people money at all' - even if it's to their parents.

For the survey results and to view the entire press release please press the link: VedaHabbo.docx

For more information about Habbo please visit: http://www.habbo.com.au/

For more information about Veda Advantage please visit: http://www.vedaadvantage.com/

'FORGET ME KNOT DAY' - 13th November: Support Australian Adult Survivors to Untangle the Knot of Child Abuse

noreply@blogger.com (Launch Management Group) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:43:00 +0000

Friday 13th November is ASCA's 'Forget-me-knot Day', when all Australians are encouraged to show their support for more than two million adult Australians personally affected by childhood abuse, as part of an International Week For Prevention of Child Abuse.

The knot in 'Forget-me-knot' Day is symbolic of the 'tangle' of childhood abuse, which in most cases is a lifelong challenge for the adult to unravel. For this largely ignored group, untangling the knot of childhood abuse is often a solitary, confusing and complex task.

ASCA's 'Forget-me-knot Day' raises awareness of this struggle, and gives all Australians an opportunity to donate, and help adult survivors to reconnect with their community.

To view the entire press release please click the below link: ForgetMeKnotDay.doc

For more information please visit: www.asca.org.au/forgetmeknot

Move Over Gen Y: New Research by MCN and Habbo on has some surprising revelations [VIDEO]

noreply@blogger.com (Launch Management Group) — Wed, 13 May 2009 23:57:00 +0000

The young ones

Forget the baby boomers, move aside Gen Y: the next generation is here and ready to make a difference.
[02:00] news.com.au | 13 May 2009

Watch the video from news.com.au here

THE NEXT GENERATION HAS LANDED : Youth Forum Releases Unique Research Defining "Generation Z"

noreply@blogger.com (Launch Management Group) — Tue, 12 May 2009 01:54:00 +0000

THE NEXT GENERATION HAS LANDED

Youth Forum Releases Unique Research Defining "Generation Z"

12th May, 2009 - Move over Baby Bombers, enough of Generation Y, a new influential generation 'Generation Z' has been identified at a forum today held by Multi Channel Network (MCN), Habbo Australia, and Channel V at the Sydney Opera House.

The Next Generation forum, hosted by Jason Davis aka "Jabba", gave fresh insight to advertisers and marketers about the characteristics, values and media and brand consumption habits of Australian youth in the 13 and 24 year-old demographic. However, the focus of the forum was on the previously undefined teen demographic of 12 -18 year olds who are part of Generation Z.

Speakers at the event included; Paul MacGregor, top Australian blogger and MCN youth strategist; Jeff Brookes, Asia Pacific Director, Habbo.com.au and Sulake; Shaun James, General Manager, Music Channels for XYZ Networks.

* Click here to see the full media release
* Click here to view the presentation
* Click here to see the Global Habbo Youth Survey.

Aggregation Forces Journalistic Evolution

noreply@blogger.com (Launch Management Group) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 03:27:00 +0000

News Outlets Must Accept That Consumers Want More Content Faster - and Don't Care Who Creates It by Michael Learmonth and Nat Ives

March 30, 2009: NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- A link on the Drudge Report can drive hundreds of thousands of views of: a news story, bringing a host of new readers and -- here's hoping -- some ad revenue to go with them. But most of the many, many sites aggregating other people's content can't deliver that much traffic, and some don't even try.

What's more, a vast swath of readers couldn't care less about anything deeper than a headline, which is a problem for the nation's beleaguered journalistic institutions as they try to find a sustainable model for newsgathering on the web. Read the full story from Ad Age here.

GREEN TEEN CRUSADERS: ARE AUSSIE TEENS OUR MOST ECO-CONSCIOUS GENERATION?

noreply@blogger.com (Launch Management Group) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 06:33:00 +0000

World First as Habbo Hotel shuts down its virtual world for Earth Hour, 28th March 25 March 2009 - A survey of more than 4,000 Australian teens has revealed that the environment is still a major issue with 81 % saying they are concerned about the environment and 85% believing they could be doing more to help the environment.

The findings are part of a survey of 4,012 Australians aged 12 to 18 years old released today by Habbo (www.habbo.com.au), Australia's most popular online playground for teenagers with 278,509 unique visitors a month. In response to Australian teens' environmental concerns, Habbo will be the first Australian virtual world to close down for one hour at 8:30 PM AEDT in support of Earth Hour on Saturday 28th March 2009. Read the media release which includes survey results here.

PR Builds Brand for Complex Products Better than Ads

noreply@blogger.com (Launch Management Group) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 03:43:00 +0000

Earned media that results from public relations efforts may be more important than advertising to brand value, especially for companies that sell feature-rich, high-involvement and complicated products such as consumer electronics, and financial services and vehicles, finds a survey by Text 100 and Context Analytics.

The findings of the "Media Prominence Study," (pdf) which calculates brand value based on Interbrand's 2008 Best Global Brands report, show that on average 27% of brand value is tied to how often the brand name appears in the press.

In industries that involve more research before purchases are made, the editorial content that results from PR can account for nearly half of brand value. For example, in the computing industry, media prominence accounted for 48% of brand value, or 16 times that of the personal care industry (4%). Similarly, media prominence in the automotive, consumer electronics and financial services industries was 23%, 20% and 19% respectively.

See the full article here.

ORPHANED PROJECT GIVES VOICE TO THE WORLD'S FORGOTTEN GENERATION OF 143 MILLION CHILDREN

noreply@blogger.com (Launch Management Group) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:35:00 +0000

22nd January 2009: American photojournalist and author Don Mirra and cause marketing specialists, The Launch Group, today announced the ORPHANED Project, a global awareness campaign with an associated book and documentary film initiative that documents orphaned children around the world.

The ORPHANED project is the first initiative of its kind to bring a voice to the growing demographic of 143 MILLION orphaned and marginalized children - imparting the need for capable people to get involved rather than exist as by-standers to the tragedy. Read the full announcement here.

Virtual Tour of Art Masterpieces

noreply@blogger.com (Launch Management Group) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 23:24:00 +0000

GETTING a close-up view of Las Meninas, an intriguing portrait by the 17th-century Spanish painter Diego Velazquez, used to require a trip to the Prado museum in Madrid. Not any more.

For the first time, the Google Earth mapping program has been adapted to allow armchair art lovers to "fly" to a world-famous museum, drop through the roof and examine the masterpieces on display in almost microscopic detail.

The system, unveiled in Madrid by Google and the Prado, allows users to examine 14 ultra-high-resolution images of work by artists including Velazquez, Goya, Hieronymus Bosch, Titian, El Greco and Rembrandt. Read the full article by Richard Jinman from the SMH here.

Orphaned Project

noreply@blogger.com (Launch Management Group) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 23:16:00 +0000

Launch Group Co-founded the ORPHANED Project with photographer Don Mirra to spread awareness of this growing global issue currently affecting 143 million children.

ORPHANED is a book and documentary film project with an associated cause marketing campaign that will launch globally in November 2009.

AUSSIE TEENS MESSAGE TO FUTURE EMPLOYERS

noreply@blogger.com (Launch Management Group) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:10:00 +0000

DON'T DISCRIMINATE, I PUT HAPPINESS AHEAD OF MONEY, MY PARENTS ARE MY CAREER ADVISORS 20th, November 2008 - A national survey of more than 2,000 Australians aged 13 to 18 years has revealed that the spirit of egalitarianism runs deep with Australian teenagers who consider the absence of workplace discrimination as the second only to happiness on the job when it comes to selecting their future employer.

The findings are part of an annual Careers survey of 2,273 Australians aged 13 to 18 years released today by Habbo (www.habbo.com.au), the preferred online playground for Australian teenagers with almost a third of Australian teens as regular users. Almost half (47%) of the teen respondents said "career enjoyment" was their primary goal, with 40% selecting the absence of discrimination based on race, gender or sexuality was vital in their choice of employer.

"Earning a lot of money" ranked a distant third - with only 16% of respondents indicating that this is important in their choice of employer or career. The ability to work their way to the top of a company received a favourable response by only 13% of respondents, and "having a positive impact on an issue that affects all Australians" was nominated as important by 9% of teens surveyed. The full announcement can be found here.

Did You Know?

noreply@blogger.com (Launch Management Group) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 07:12:00 +0000

Youth No Longer Defined by Age; Consumers Stay 'Younger' Longer

noreply@blogger.com (Launch Management Group) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 23:17:00 +0000

The traditional demographic definition of "youth" is no longer applicable in today's society, and marketers should target consumers based upon their engagement and participation in youth culture rather than by chronological age, according to the "Golden Age of Youth" study from Viacom Brand Solutions International (VBSI), writes MarketingCharts.

As people worldwide delay the onset of adult responsibilities and stay emotionally and physically younger for longer, it is becoming more acceptable for older people to participate in youthful pursuits. To support this trend, marketers should routinely consider the often-overlooked 25-34 age group a part of the youth market, VBSI said. Read the full story here.

10 amazing Google Earth add-ons

noreply@blogger.com (Launch Management Group) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 02:23:00 +0000

Maps from centuries past, paths of satellites whizzing by, global warming brought to life: User-created Google Earth mashups present a dizzying array of information in a new and imaginative graphic. See the pictures from Computerworld here.

Japan to launch carbon footprint labelling scheme

noreply@blogger.com (Launch Management Group) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:33:00 +0000

Japan is to carry carbon footprint labels on food packaging and other products in an ambitious scheme to persuade companies and consumers to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
The labels, to appear on dozens of items including food and drink, detergents and electrical appliances from next spring, will go further than similar labels already in use elsewhere. They will provide detailed breakdowns of each product's carbon footprint under a government-approved calculation and labeling system now being discussed by the trade ministry and around 30 firms. Read the full article from The Guardian here.

The Information Future of the Corporate Board

noreply@blogger.com (Launch Management Group) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:06:00 +0000

Boards won't be well positioned to take on greater responsibilities for company performance unless they can have access to the right information at the right time. However, despite the growing availability of information about publicly traded companies, directors traditionally rely solely on information that comes from management when they make boardroom decisions.

This condition of dependence results from what we term "information asymmetry." And if boards are to effectively fulfill their duties, they may well want to shift the balance by seeking - with management's blessing - both more information and information from independent sources. Read the full article and find a link to the accenture report here.

Yes, Companies Are Responsible for Charity

noreply@blogger.com (Launch Management Group) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 05:06:00 +0000

It's Wrongheaded to Think Businesses' Social Awareness Doesn't Matter to Employees, Consumers, Investors

Writer Jonathan Salem Baskin appeared to channel economist Milton Friedman in his July 21 Ad Age column ("Transparency, Not Charity, Is Corporation's Responsibility") when he asked, "So where in the game rules does it say that companies have to be 'responsible' for anything other than profits?" Let's check the rule book for a few key constituencies whose increasing expectations, strong voices and behavior are changing the game. Read the full story by Mike Lawrence from Ad Age now.

Australia's Favourite Teen Playground Chooses Launch

noreply@blogger.com (Launch Management Group) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 02:24:00 +0000

Habbo appoints Launch Group after competitive pitch.

6th August 2008: The world's largest virtual world for teenagers, Habbo Australia, will be increasing its profile in the Australian and New Zealand market in the coming twelve months and has awarded its public relations account to the Launch Group (Launch), after a competitive pitch.

Established in 2004 by Sulake, Habbo Australia is a combination of a teen virtual world and a social networking online game where Habbos (virtual representations of members), socialise, play games and create user-generated content. Globally, Habbo is one of the world's largest virtual game sites with 100 million registered Habbos across 31 communities and countries (Source: Sulake Statistics March 2008) Most (70%) of Habbo's users are aged 13-16 years, equally distributed between girls and boys.

Launch CEO Fleur Brown said she was excited to add Habbo to Launch's client portfolio. "Habbo is a unique account, and a leading brand in Australia for teens, who are emerging as a sought-after and generally advertising-astute demographic. We look forward to delving deeper into Habbo's innovative teen research, and communicating some of the insights around this elusive but powerful demographic". See the full announcement here.

Talks Kevin Kelly: Predicting the next 5,000 days of the web

noreply@blogger.com (Launch Management Group) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 02:47:00 +0000

Kevin Kelly has been publisher of the Whole Earth Review, exec editor at WIRED, founder of visionary nonprofits, and writer on biology and business and "cool tools." He's admired for his new perspectives on technology and its relevance to history, biology and religion.

At the 2007 EG conference, Kevin Kelly shares a fun stat: The World Wide Web, as we know it, is only 5,000 days old. Now, Kelly asks, how can we predict what's coming in the next 5,000 days?

See the video from TED here