A’wight! David here, recently hired digital launcher. I put some serious thought into what to write for my first Launch blog post, and in the end I decided a little gift seemed the most appropriate kind of content. That may be a slightly grandiose term for what is essentially just a link, but it’s such a little gem that 140 characters simply wasn’t enough to do this one justice, and so it has been bumped up from potential Tweet to blog post. And the gift in question? Pates Tapes.

Essentially, Pates Tapes is a collection of music which spans all different genres and decades, and is available to listen to at your leisure. What it really represents though is the thoughtful and insightful knowledge of a rare music aficionado. Charles Pates has spent a great deal of his life moving in and out of various musical scenes (CBGBs in its heyday? Kudonk), and during that time he’s amassed an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of modern music which he has put to very good use by creating a wide range of mix tapes from his extensive vinyl collection.

What does that leave us with? Some of the best music in recent history carefully picked and collated into complimentary playlists. And the best bit? They’re mix tapes! Click play and enjoy the ride!

I was forwarded this a few months back, and it has become such a staple part of my daily life that I have been compelled to share it with everyone and anyone who will listen to my eager ramblings about its depth and quality. Whether it’s on your headphones in the office or background music at a dinner party, Pates Tapes has something to suit every mood and taste (cliché but true!). Did I mention he constantly records and adds new tapes, too? Perfect.

Well, it’s time to wrap this one up as I fear I have already gushed a few lines too many on this one! In the spirit of social interaction, I encourage everyone to have a look, listen and recommend their favourite tapes from the collection on our twitter feed. Here’s a couple of my favourites to get you started -

Rhythm and Blues – The Midnight Special
John Peel Sessions – Vandergraffer International/ Lash Larriot

As the only Canadian here at Launch Group, and a relatively new resident of London, I thought I would share my top ten list of favourite things to do/see/eat/watch in the big city. Perhaps it’ll give other newcomers some ideas!

So, in no particular order:

Borough Market

It’s very popular and incredibly crowded on Saturdays, but I love coming here to eat lunch and   
spot all the different kinds of food on offer. It’s an epicurean’s dream…

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Ben, off-duty. No, seriously

I read a book recently that I thought might be of interest. I thought this because (a) it actually altered my take on a subject that I’ve spent far too long thinking about for more than 25 years now and (b) there’s not a chance in hell you’re ever likely to read it. On Amazon it ain’t.

Whilst not strictly about business, the Doc behind this little gem sums it up nicely in his opening line: “I teach the psychology of greatness.” Don’t let this overblown (he’s Californian!) statement of intent or the fact that you may have already guessed it’s a sports text put you off enjoying just a few of Dr Rotella’s pearls: 

1.       Believe in yourself – be your own best friend

The voice inside your head – the one with which you talk to yourself – should be giving you what you need. Your subconscious can’t discriminate information from your conscious brain. If you’re telling yourself you’re a lousy excuse for a PR exec, chances are your subconscious will accept that as the truth.  

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Chris....perhaps

Every morning I get up, slowly crawl out from my cocoon of a duvet and don my cycling gear – yes I do look fabulous in it. Mmm, just think Mr Blobby in luminous lycra! Anyway, I jump on my hybrid bike – apparently a cross between a road bike and a mountain – and brave the eight mile cycle to Soho.

Perhaps some explanation as to why anyone in their right mind would want to get on a bike in London is needed. My reasons are simple:

- I wanted to lose weight after the future Mrs S called me “fat” after Christmas. I of course did not argue with this as I am fully aware that my body is not quite as Adonis as it was a decade ago

- It would save me nearly thirty five quid a week in train fares. Also add to the pot the fact that I hate getting on those bloody cattle trucks – expensive and more often than not, late!

- It’s good for the soul. Well, for the most part anyway. I get to spend 25 minutes clearing my head and planning my day – a great use of time….Now I’m starting to sound like my management consultant big bro!

My journey is always exhilarating for one reason or another. Since taking up this rather suicidal sport, I have had a couple of run-ins. My most significant and favourite disaster was being taken out by a motorcyclist…I thought that cars and lorries were meant to be the ones to look out for!?!?

Picture the scene, if you will. There I was, hammering down the Embankment one morning when a “lovely man” on a motorbike overtook me and proceeded to cut me up. I slammed on the brakes, hit his back wheel and went flying over the handlebars – flying like Superman was the easy part, it was the graceful gymnastics-style landing that was the problem…I ended up in a heap on the road.  

After dusting myself down I soon realised where the expression “hopping mad” came from. I found myself quite literally jumping up and down with rage. A few seconds of this eye-catching demonstration encouraged an enormous bloke to cycle over and asked me if I was okay, picking up my rather crumpled bike off the road. His timing was unfortunate. My would-be hero found himself confronted with an angry (my friends call it the “ginger mist”) six foot five red-headed man-mountain. “It’s people like you that really make me mad!” I exploded into his face, as he quivered beneath the force of cyclist rage.

Anyway, you will be glad to hear that I survived without a broken bone in my body, I did not cry and I learnt my first cycling lesson: People in cars do not pay attention, but people on motorbikes are just…

I am going to sign off for now. But just remember, not all cyclists are nutters, and if you are in your car, please do use your wing mirrors.

Yours, the slightly trimmer,

Mr S

Are you Twittering? That’s the question being put to friends, family and colleagues alike. It’s difficult to remain ignorant of the micro-blogging sensation that’s been gripping the UK, the subsequent celebrity endorsements and the vocab overhaul that’s seen people sprouting incomprehensible expressions such as tweet, twit and twitterer. But if you somehow missed the phenomenal uptake of such things (where have you been?), you may want to head on over to the official site that started it all.

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It’s been a strange couple of weeks here at Launch. After enduring a sudden but strangely titillating power-cut, a not-half-as-exciting server failure and the complete chaos of an entirely unexpected London snow blizzard, this week feels just slightly more sensible than the last. It’s interesting how different people respond in a crisis – when the rug gets whipped out from under feet and Plan A becomes Plan B, following with a succession of Plan Cs, Ds and Es. Thanks to our technical and environmental troubles, the question on everyone’s lips went something like: How can we best let clients know what’s going on? How will we work with no power? How can we avoid letting people down? What if Ben never comes back from the coffee run because he’s been buried by a snow drift?

Thankfully, Launch is pretty creative in a crisis, and despite the myriad setbacks deadlines were still met and meetings still held (though we’ve yet to find Ben) – and reasonably cheerily under the circumstances! Fingers crossed such disasters aren’t a regular occurrence, but it’s nice to know that the office doesn’t fall apart when things don’t go to plan!

UK Plc is in for an interesting ride – that’s for sure. I’ve lost count of the number of people who’ve asked me ‘how’s it looking?’ So, in the spirit of openness, I thought I’d jot down what’s in my mind looking ahead at the next 12 – 24 months. It’s genuinely what I’ll be thinking about a lot at Launch Towers (and away from it), so here you go:

1) Talking more to more people. Not me, but PR and communication agencies. Through truly integrated comms (on and offline) how do you transcend all barriers and reach all audiences and communities whatever their origin and behavioural patterns?  One trick pony agencies are going to find the going tough.  It’s the solution that matters, not necessarily how (method) you’ll get there. (more…)

Head of Social Media – quite a bit of pressure here to deliver an outstanding post, to set the bar high, to inspire and delight.

Whilst I think of a way to do just that, and in a slimly disguised pretence of originality, here are my top 9 go-to blogs and communities, flowing gently into Netvibes every day.

9. The Daily Beast

Perfectly sized chunks of political and cultural opinion from a huge range of commentators, from Michael Moore to Cherie Blair.

8. Digg Science

http://digg.com/general_sciences/

Perfect for a quick snapshot of what’s happening at the cutting edges of science.

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When I was asked to write a blog about all things experiential I have to admit I had a moment of panic!  How do I communicate through the art form they call the written word, isn’t that what the PR people are paid to do?!  Why can’t I just upload a funky video of me running around at an event like a man possessed?

Mmm… here we go…

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