Launch Group

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Japan to launch carbon footprint labelling scheme

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.

Labels: Consumer Trends, Green Watch

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

The Information Future of the Corporate Board

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.

Labels: Business and Finance, Media Entertainment and Technology

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Yes, Companies Are Responsible for Charity

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.

Labels: Business and Finance, Make a Difference

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Australia's Favourite Teen Playground Chooses Launch

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.

Labels: Media Entertainment and Technology

Sunday, August 3, 2008

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

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

Labels: Media Entertainment and Technology