Launch started life as a consumer brands project PR agency in 2001.  We were one of PR Week’s best new agencies of the year, attracting great people and great clients alike.

In 2005, our offer began to integrate media relations, digital and events.  We launched our corporate team around this time too.

And now, towards the end of 2011, we’re talking to people about our all-channel PR offer.

Innovation is good in business.  In fact, if you don’t innovate, your business quickly loses its shine and appeal.

All-channel PR?

It’s logical – whatever you have to communicate, to whichever audiences, we consult around the key PR channels-to-market to do it.  And we have all the capability in-house.

Clients should be guided, clients should be advised, and they shouldn’t feel hampered by one dimensional offers.  There’s too much at stake in the real / virtual / consumer / corporate inter-connected world and the relationship between experience / content / digital and media needs to be well explained – and bought in part (if that’s the need against the audience), or in whole.

Some clients come to us and say – ‘we’d love a bit of that.’  And that’s great.  Others come saying ‘we’re not sure, you tell us’.  And that’s equally, if not more exciting.

One size doesn’t fit all.  Having all the channels open and available has to be in a client’s best interest.

Add amazing people, brilliant thinking, collective culture and nice coffee and you’re probably on to something.

Last week, we closed the books on 12 months of trading, which as ever, has made me reflect on key influences that have shaped our performance over the last year.

Firstly, despite one of the worst recessions in history, there’s been a lot of activity with clients and prospects, which tells me, the role for PR and its increasing influence on the digital scene is encouraging. And at unusual times too – lots more mid year activity. It’ll be fascinating to see how this plays out over the next 12 months.

Secondly, budgets have been harder fought over. And often smaller, too.  There’s absolutely zero room for sloppiness or complacency – and that certainly adds an intensity to things.

Finally, people. We’re always on the look-out for stellar people to join the trailblazing Launch family … but good people have been thinner on the ground this year. Lots of people have stayed put, many have lost their jobs … so recruiting the best hasn’t been easy. And you should never compromise – we certainly don’t.

There’s one thing that’s impressed me throughout, however, and that’s the Launch spirit. We’ve had epic wins, we’ve had some near epic wins, we’ve had some great client gains (and a few client economy-led shrinkages), major award wins, major award runners-up spots … and we’ve had extreme weather fluctuations, which with a creaking heating / cooling system, has tested everyone.  But one thing consistently shines through – and that’s a positive attitude and a willingness to get the job done – whatever the weather. 

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…)

When I first started working in PR, working with a high end champagne brand was one of my aspirations, so when the opportunity arose to work for Moët & Chandon I was ecstatic!  I had images of sipping chilled glasses at London Fashion week adorned with a Louis Vuitton handbag…

Moët was opening the Atelier Moët, the UK’s first pop up champagne boutique where customers could have their bottles of Moët encrusted with Swarovski crystals.  Charlotte, the assistant on the account set about personalising what felt like hundreds of bottles of varying complexity:

‘Christian’
difficultly level 4
nine letters

‘Pumpbling 2008’
difficulty level 6 
lots of letters and a strange message

‘Market Kitchen’
difficulty level 7 
unhinging a giant Jeroboam box,trying to move the huge bottle, put letters on straight and then having to carry it up seven flights of stairs – it wasn’t a fun experience

‘Night with Nick’
difficult level 8
too many letters, three rows of words and we were running out of ’n’s at this point too

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The second half of 2008 saw a major first for Launch Group; the BP team made a TV show. A proper, real life, find it in the TV listings TV show.

‘Drive Greener and Save Money with Quentin Willson’ aired throughout August on Sky TV and saw 5 members of the public take their Green Driving Tests and show the nation how they could ‘Drive Greener and Save Money’!
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I’m Adam, Account Exec at Launch. I’ve worked on the DVD launch of eight Momentum Pictures titles and each one has been very different and exciting. As a total movie geek myself, the chance to work on some varied titles, such as Never Back Down (urban street fighting), Smiley Face (stoner comedy with Anna Faris) and Teeth (story about a girl with teeth where there really shouldn’t be teeth!) has been really exciting and challenging. The best bit about getting a new title is the creative brainstorms we have beforehand. We know the title and the synopsis; from there we put our minds together to think of the best, most original and creative ways to promote the films.

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One of my favourite projects so far during my time at Launch has to be Chivas Studio UK, our three day event extravaganza!

I loved this project for many reasons, especially because of the amazingly interesting people we got to meet and work alongside throughout. Take Fashion Designer Todd Lynn for instance. He collaborated with us to produce a stunning limited edition Pewter hip flask with his trade mark gothic edgy appeal marked by a raised dagger through the middle of the design. Having worked closely with Todd throughout its creation, I really felt I had a part to play in its final production and must admit I felt more than a tad proud when I saw it exhibited for the first time in the stunning venue, One Marylebone Road!

In addition to Todd, Alexander McQueen, the de Villeneuve sisters and Jefferson Hack, we also worked closely with the London College of Fashion who provided some amazing photography for the event. Having always fancied trying my hand at photography, it was really awe inspiring to see some of the most up and coming fashion photographers in action.

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