mi-comms news

Really Nasty Horse Racing Game

2011-10-10T03:14:00.000-07:00

Pip Your Pals to the Post with the Really Nasty Horse Racing Game - (review samples available now)

Enjoy a day at the races from the comfort of your armchair with the fiendishly devious Really Nasty Horse Racing Game. Buy a racehorse and place your bets, all without any cash changing hands!

Re-released this autumn from University Games, the board game that has delighted families for 21 years is re-launching with a new, contemporary box design.

The aim of The Really Nasty Horse Racing Game is simple: buy a racehorse, enter it into events, and win as much money as possible by being utterly ruthless! Utilise race cards to force opponents’ nags to fall at the first fence, pull up or unseat their jockey. Players win money for the success of their horse and before each race visit “Generous George the bookie” to place a secret bet on any of the race's runners and riders. The player with the most money at the end of the series of race meetings is the winner.

Not only the easiest (and cheapest!) way to own a racehorse, The Really Nasty Horse Racing Game is fantastic fun for family and friends. Just don't be surprised when you're nobbled by your nan and your horse falls at the first!

Really Nasty Horse Racing Game from University Games is available from all good retailers including Amazon, Debenhams and WHSmith.

RRP of £19.99

Ages 12+

2011-08-11T05:11:00.000-07:00

All games available for review

5 SECOND RULE Brand-new on shelf this Summer is the award-winning game, 5 Second Rule. Winner of ‘Best New Game’ at Toy Fair 2011, this fast-paced game requires players to name three things in 5 seconds! The quirky twisted timer, the risk of the Danger Zones and the Switch and Pass On cards, add to the frenzied pace of play. To support the launch, University Games will invest in a comprehensive pre-Christmas TV and PR campaign to further increase awareness and boost sales.

SMART ASS University Games also continues invest in TV advertising for the popular trivia-based game Smart Ass. Have you ever played a game and been bursting to shout out the answer even when it’s not your turn? Here’s your chance! Each question has ten clues. The first player to shout out the correct answer wins the round and takes a step closer to being the ultimate “Smart Ass.”!

POINTLESS This summer the popular TV quiz show Pointless, presented by Alexander Armstrong, has moved from BBC Two to BBC One. This has greatly increased awareness, and is reflected in the increase in demand for the board game produced by University Games. The family game takes the best elements from the TV show. The aim of the game is to get the lowest score possible by giving the least obvious answer! The TV viewing figures for Pointless have surged to 2.7 million a day. Series 4 is currently airing, and with series 5 already planned, Pointless is going to remain at the forefront of TV exposure for sometime to come.

THE REALLY NASTY HORSE RACING GAME To celebrate 21 years since the original launch of The Really Nasty Horse Racing Game, University Games has re-branded, re-packaged and will re-launch this popular and addictive game this August. The unique board game has remained a consistent best seller since 1990, has gained 92 % 5 star reviews on Amazon and appeals to racing and non-racing players alike.
“The game brings together all the family values of bribery, shiftiness, bluffing, blackmail and double-crossing with lots of laughter and fun. A Winner!”
The Good Toy Guide

THE GRUFFALO MAGNETIC ADVENTURES New for the pre-school range, University Games have introduced the Gruffalo Magnetic Adventures. The flexible magnetic pieces can stick on background scenes provided or onto the fridge door! This compliments the well-loved Felt Board Game and Word Rhyming Games from the same series. Super for travel, and handy for home.

Crayola games for review

2011-03-28T05:36:00.000-07:00

Review samples are now available of the new pre-school games from Crayola - 'Doodle Match' and 'Colour Mix-a-Roo'! Crayola has continually inspired creativity in children and this venture from craft to games is no exception. Both games introduce children to colour recognition and enhance memory skills. No batteries required and no mess either!

University Games will also launch its exclusive 'Play 'N Learn' System. The concept has been developed to assist parents who wish to align fun and learning with their child's development needs.
By adding clear and easy to understand signage on the box, it makes the parents choice easier.

The full range of eleven titles in the 'Play 'N Learn' System will incorporate games such as 'Alphabet Game', 'Adventures In Fairyland', and 'Jungle Adventure'. All the games will help children to develop key basic skills such as counting, mathematics, observation, and social interaction.

Launching into the activity category, 'Gruffalo Magnetic Adventures' will sit perfectly alongside the other Gruffalo lines - 'The Gruffalo Felt Play Board' and 'The Gruffalo Word Rhyming Game'.

Finally, the Very Hungry Caterpillar Match and Munch game allows pre-schoolers to develop their matching and counting skills as they collect and match food from the beloved story by Eric Carle. The game is already being well reviewed and is expected to be a firm favourite this year.

SAMPLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW - contact emma.burgham@mi-comms.co.uk

THE BEST IS BACK – ALL NEW ‘MURDER MYSTERY PARTY GAMES’

2011-02-09T04:31:00.000-08:00

THE BEST IS BACK – ALL NEW ‘MURDER MYSTERY’ FOR 2011
plus
‘POINTLESS’ GOES FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH

University Games is re-launching its first-ever series of games at the 2011 Spring Fair - the hugely popular Murder Mystery Party. Re-packaged, and with new content to bring them bang-up-to-date, these role-playing ‘parties-in-a-box’ include A Taste for Wine and Murder, Murder at Mardi Gras and Murder Down Under. Iconicly known as ‘the’ ultimate dinner party game, these latest versions will ensure a new lease of life amongst their original fans and provide fun entertainment to new games-lovers.

The new board game Pointless released by University Games at the end of 2010, is based on the compelling BBC TV quiz show hosted by Alexander Armstrong. The TV show has been such a success that new episodes of Pointless have just been commissioned (announced 4th February 2011) and Armstrong will host a fourth and fifth series in 2011. This is great news for the board game which brings the best features of the show straight from the TV into your living room.

Launching into the family games category in 2011 is a major new UK game for University Games called ‘5 Second Rule’. The game was awarded Best New Toy for 2011 at the London Toy Fair earlier this month and is nominated as US Toy of the Year 2011. ‘5 Second Rule’ is a fast-paced game that requires players to think on their feet, and is expected to be a hit when it launches on-shelf in July.

Brand-new for the pre-school sector, University Games is launching two new games from Crayola – ‘Doodle Match’ and ‘Colour Mix-a-Roo’. Both games introduce children to colour recognition and enhance memory skills. No batteries required and no mess either!

Launching this year into the activity category, Gruffalo Magnetic Adventures sits perfectly with the other Gruffalo lines – The Gruffalo Felt Play Board and The Gruffalo Word Rhyming Game. The felt board and the magnetic activities both encourage creative play with the popular characters from the timeless classic.

In 2011 ‘Smart Ass’ will continue to lead the family games category, following successful 2010 sales and a Christmas TV advertising campaign.

Christmas all wrapped up with University Games

2010-10-18T03:51:00.000-07:00

The festive season is the perfect time of year to stay in and play some family games.

So whether you’re looking to challenge the kids, battle against your friends or have fun with your relatives, you simply can’t go wrong with the wide variety of family board games available this Christmas from University Games.

This year's best-selling game is the ever-popular Mr&Mrs. Do you really know your partner as well as you think? Or do you want to test your general knowledge with the classic game Who wants to be a Millionaire? And brand new for 2010, there's Pointless, based on the hit BBC game-show hosted by Alexander Armstrong - the game where the least obvious answer wins!

If you want a more quiz-based game, try Sort it Out! or the junior version for the kids. Impatient players should make sure they have Smart Ass in their Christmas games collection - but don't play it with those who like a slow-paced game!

For those gorgeous stocking fillers, check out the new highly addictive Find it game which will keep your kids absorbed for hours or the tinned version of the award-winning Five Little Monkeys game and family favourite The Gruffalo.

All the games can be viewed on www.universitygames.co.uk

StyleU launches new concept in designer shopping

2010-06-07T05:51:00.000-07:00

Georgie Pincus, a personal stylist and owner of StyleU, has secured exclusive contracts with Stella McCartney, Michael Kors, Matches Fashion and Donna Ida, to supply their latest collections at her designer trunk parties.

Georgie will organise the event – you simply select the date and a small group of friends to ensure individual attention and advice. Georgie will send out personalised invites and communicate with guests to learn dress size, style and colour preferences. She will then spend time with the individual designers agreeing and selecting the key pieces and seasonal ranges in line with the guests’ feedback.

Georgie says, “More and more clients don't want to shop on the internet as they can't touch, see or try on the clothes and they don't have the time to go shopping. My vision is to offer a personal shopping and concierge service by taking capsule collections in the form of mini pop-up designer boutiques to clients in their own homes.”

For more information on StyleU's designer trunk parties or an interview with Georgie Pincus, please contact emma.burgham@mi-comms.co.uk

Discovering Ardi

2010-04-06T04:38:00.000-07:00

DVD to be released 26th April 2010

The two-hour series, “Discovering Ardi,” documents the sustained, intensive investigation that began in the Ethiopian desert 17 years ago after the discovery of a 4.4 million year old female partial skeleton nicknamed “Ardi”.

Ardi’s discovery opened a new chapter on human evolution, revealing the first evolutionary steps our ancestors took after we diverged from a common ancestor we once shared with living chimpanzees.

It took an elite international team of experts fifteen years to delicately, meticulously and methodically piece together "Ardi" and her lost world in order to reveal her significance.

The film uses both location sequences and extensive computer-generated animation to detail the original research and is designed to bring the many discoveries of the Middle Awash team to a wide viewing public.

Dirty Job’s host Mike Rowe narrates.

Notes To Editors:

“Discovering Ardi” is brought to DVD under license by Demand Media and was first broadcast on Discovery Channel in the UK.

The DVD retails at an RRP of £17.99 from Amazon.co.uk and all good retailers.

Anyone for Squirrel?

2010-03-22T04:42:00.000-07:00

ANYONE FOR SQUIRREL?
March 2010: One of England’s oldest public houses, The Valiant Trooper in Aldbury, Hertfordshire, is refining its food menu to include traditional and unusual cuts of meat and fish which were commonplace on banqueting tables centuries ago.

The pub is in an idyllic rural setting and is tapping into its own heritage by challenging and encouraging customers to rediscover England’s country food. The 17th century cottages that comprise the Valiant Trooper have always served as alehouses and pub name was acquired because the Duke of Wellington met his troops here to discuss tactics.

While today’s customer is acquainted with breasts, fillets, shoulders and shanks, the Valiant Trooper is now offering customers blades, collars, trotters and cheeks. The chef, Steve Mason, grew up in the local area and enthuses: “We have been working hard on developing dishes that would have been served back in the early 19th century and using cuts of meat that deliver terrific flavour. I want to go back to the wild.”

Examples from the new menu include:
- Local Ashridge squirrel braised with leeks and thyme gravy, served on mash
- Slow-roasted collar of pork served with Bubble ‘n’ Squeak
- Jugged local hare with crushed new potatoes
- Fresh handmade faggots with creamy mash
- Braised pig trotters with a sage gravy
- Cornish conger eel with a tomato and saffron sauce
- Blade of English beef with Trooper Ale gravy
The menu is available now and main courses are priced between £9 and £14. The menu will change seasonally.

'Shooting Michael Moore' - on DVD now

2010-03-18T04:19:00.000-07:00

SHOOTING MICHAEL MOORE – THE DOCUMENTARY

DVD On General Release Now

The real Michael Moore exposed by people who knew him, worked with him and acted in his films!

Do you think you know Michael Moore? You may want to think again! The “media darling” has earned millions by deceiving the world with his movies such as Fahrenheit 9/11, Roger and Me and Sickol. He has achieved an untouchable status despite his all too often misleading information.
“Shooting Michael Moore” is a film produced in parody style about the hypocrisies of the famous filmmaker.
A champion for the underprivileged........ Michael Moore is not!

Shooting Michael Moore is brought to DVD under license by Lighthouse DVD.
The DVD retails at an RRP of £14.99 from Amazon and all good retailers.

mi comms PR starts 2010 with 2 new account wins

2010-02-23T06:14:00.000-08:00

23 February 2010: Growing Buckinghamshire-based consultancy, mi-comms PR has made a great start to 2010 by winning two 1-year accounts with the Neuro Linguistic Programming consultancy Edge NLP, and specialist financial planning advisors, Care Matters.

Following a competitive pitch, Edge NLP handed the consultancy the brief to proactively raise awareness of its brand and specialist NLP courses. The one year consumer and trade PR programme will be media relations led.

The second win for mi-comms PR is financial planning advisors, Care Matters. They are the UK’s first one-stop-shop for addressing the financial planning needs of older people with an emphasis on planning for long-term care, an area which not well known and often misunderstood by consumers. Mi-comms PR will implement a year-long trade and consumer campaign to increase awareness of the importance of planning and position Care Matters as the leading authority in the Financial Services sector.

Both accounts will be led by Senior Consultant, Lara Finch.

Kirsty Barr, Director, said: “Winning two year-long accounts is a great beginning to the year for the team. This year we will continue to focus on expanding our media and ‘positive lifestyle’ client portfolio.”

see coverage in PR Week

Stitch London launches

2009-10-05T08:56:00.001-07:00

One of the UK’s leading experts in promotional merchandise, Jo Fogel, today announces the launch of Stitch London, a high-quality and competitively priced premiums business.

The Stitch London range comprises a variety of coloured luxury leather gifts and accessories, presented in stylish signature black and white packaging. The collection includes travel products, desk items and personal accessories for men and women. Unlike other leather promotional merchandisers, Stitch London offers a bespoke service creating exclusive designs and tailor-made product runs with the facility to pantone-dye leather.

Jo Fogel, Director, explains:
“With the launch of Stitch London, we aim to make an impression and fill a gap in the market. We recognise the need for excellent quality leather gifts, at affordable prices, and are confident our experience in this sector will enable us to meet this need.
Alongside Stitch London we are also launching a non-leather merchandise range, Stitch Promo.”

Jo Fogel has a strong heritage in the promotional merchandise industry. In 1995, she was one of the founders of the successful promotional and merchandising company, Distinctive Ideas, subsequently sold to The Dowlis Group in 2006. Over 13 years she has built a strong client base in the entertainment and hospitality sector with clients that included CNN, Discovery Communications, Marriott Hotels and the Disney Channel. Under her directorship, Distinctive Ideas became renowned for its presentation, packaging and quality of the products created. Jo’s knowledge and expertise, coupled with her understanding of clients’ needs, has been drawn upon in the development of the Stitch London and Stitch Promo brands.

True Tube at the BFI

2009-09-29T04:54:00.000-07:00

mi comms PR is proud to have been asked by CTVC to promote the True Tube films being showcased at the British Film Institute event on November 28th. The True Tube van is a CTVC project - the van is equipped with cameras, video booth and editing equipment and is visiting 24 youth groups and festivals across the UK to offer disadvantaged 16-25 year olds the chance to make their own films on issues that affect them.

The films are available to view at www.truetube.co.uk

Top Brands in Customer Engagement Survey

2009-09-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

The direct marketing agency, Targetbase Claydon Heeley, today announces the findings of an extensive Customer Engagement Survey. The survey, undertaken through online research company CCB fast.MAP Ltd, explored the relationship between ten top UK brands and their customers – aiming to understand how customers value brands and the impact this has for the brand on their value as customers.

The findings unearthed some new and thought provoking statistics, such as, on average, the brands in the survey are failing to engage with a staggering 77% of their customers.

Why does Customer Engagement matter?

Traditional marketing is changing and marketers need to find new ways to engage with their customers. Today’s customers are more in control than ever before and for a brand to understand their customer, they need to understand the motivation behind the behaviour. TBCH’s survey set out to prove that the more customers are understood by a brand, and therefore engaged with a brand, the more likely they are to repurchase and recommend to others.

Steve Grout, UK CEO, comments, “At Targetbase Claydon Heeley we have a commitment to data driven marketing and have specific expertise in CRV (Customer Relationship Value). We knew that an appropriate in-depth and independent survey could look at the brand/customer relationship from both sides, and in doing this, we have revealed that success for one brand looks very different to success for another”.

The Survey and the Brands

TBCH’s online quantitative survey was conducted amongst 1,200 nationally representative respondents from CCB fast.MAP’s Consumer Voice panel. From the data gathered, TBCH plotted a CRV (Customer Relationship Value) matrix for each brand. As this is the first time this survey has taken place, a cross section of market-leading brands within different sectors were selected: Barclays, Boots, British Gas, BT, Easyjet, Google, Lloyds TSB, MBNA, M&S and the Post Office (Royal Mail).

Key Findings

The top three performing brands, Boots, M&S and Google, were those that scored highest for Customer Engagement – they all achieved top scores for different reasons.
Boots’ high score for the emotional engagement of “makes time to reward me” propelled it into the top three, however M&S achieved its top three spot by scoring highly for the emotional elements of “relates to me best” and “cares about more than just my money”. Google found itself in the top three by scoring highly for the rational engagement element “best at what they do”.

Boots finds itself in the top three performing brands because its score for the emotional element (“This brand makes time to reward me”) is 317.4% higher than the average score achieved by the nine other brands in the survey. In other words, they outperform the average score for all other brands, by excelling in one particular area. Conversely, Lloyds TSB scores little more than the average in most elements of engagement, and comes fifth with their engagement score.

Interestingly, however, the survey highlighted that for customers, reward is about more than tactical promotions. Easyjet achieved the highest score for sending customers deals and offers at 73.6%, but only scored 8.8% for “makes time to reward me”. Boots, on the other hand, scored a lower 64.7% for sending customers deals and offers, but scored a high 45.4% for “makes time to reward me”.
MBNA achieved the lowest score for customer engagement in the survey. It scored the lowest for the rational engagement elements of “is best at what they do” and “represents good value”. It also showed the lowest score for the emotional elements of “show they understand me” and “relates to me best”.

Summary

This survey is a call to action for brands. UK customers are five times more likely to buy a brand if it has been recommended (European Advocacy Study – Nov 2007). Steve Grout stresses, “This striking statistic is reinforced by our survey – what customers think and feel, and therefore say about a brand, can be as powerful as what they do”.

As an industry expert, TBCH recommend that in order to fully engage with their customers, all brands must understand the true levers of engagement. Today’s financial climate and commercial pressures leave brands reluctant to “miss out” on trends in marketing strategies. If a brand is brave enough to edit a traditional marketing programme to create a more bespoke offering they have the opportunity to truly create a unique and appropriate offering for their customers. To help motivate brands, TBCH found that a 1% increase in engagement leads to 3% increase in customer value – a very tangible and real reason to take action.

Customer Engagement has a key role to play within all marketing strategies and through the application of a Customer Relationship Value model index, this can be better understood.

For the full result http://www.mi-comms.co.uk/webdocs/TBCH.pdf

mi comms support Chilterns MS Centre

2009-09-07T05:52:00.000-07:00

mi-comms PR was happy to facilitate the Chilterns MS Centre’s first Vision Day as it prepares to move in to a brand new purpose built building in the Autumn of 2010. The aim of the Vision Day was to bring staff and trustees together and encourage and support them as they plan the biggest change in the charity’s 25 year history.

The day was so inspiring and fulfilling that mi-comms has offered to support the charity through the next year with administrative support, communications advice and independent facilitation. We are proud to associate ourselves with this worthwhile local charity.

TRUETUBE OFFLINE – COMING TO A TOWN NEAR YOU!

2009-09-07T05:35:00.000-07:00

On: 7th – 11th September
At: Carisma, 1 Parsonage Street, Hulme, Manchester, M15 5WD

TrueTube is travelling across the UK this summer and autumn, targeting groups of young people and giving them the opportunity to become involved in social and community action, using film as a tool for interaction.
Through its new project, named TrueTube Offline, the TrueVan – a van installed with three cameras, a video booth and editing equipment – is visiting 24 youth groups and festivals across the UK to offer 1,000 disadvantaged 16-25 year-olds the chance to make their own films on social, moral, community, political and environmental issues.
TrueTube is well renowned for helping young people to think, speak out and act on important issues happening in today’s world. It won a prestigious BETT Award in 2009 for its educational spin on social media, supplying schools and colleges with over 700 short films designed to engage students and encourage them to discuss the issues that are important to them.
Reaching young people directly in their social environments and giving them access to film equipment otherwise unavailable, the programme is entirely youth-led with only a steering group offering strategic advice and direction throughout. Following the TrueVan visits there will be a series of small scale events designed by young people to engage the community and decision makers with the groups formulating community action plans to tackle the issues brought up through the filming.
In addition, the young people working on the films will be able to gain accreditation towards other qualifications whilst filming and organising their events. TrueTube also tries to assist the volunteers wishing to continue their development in film making by directing them to other resources and courses.
The project will conclude with a large scale event at the British Film Institute (BFI) in London on Saturday 28 November 2009, where the films produced during the project will be displayed. Young people will also be debating, voting, volunteering and campaigning. The event will feature a number of guest speakers including film and documentary makers, leading politicians and campaigners as well as the young film makers themselves!
Not a stranger to high profile interviews, you can find films on Dame Kelly Holmes, Ken Loach and Ian Duncan Smith MP on www.truetube.co.uk.
TrueTube Offline’s project manager, Rachael Clohesey, says: “TrueTube is committed to providing young people with all the tools they need, whatever their social background, to make a difference in their community and the wider world. Doing this through film is ideal as they can practise valuable skills which can be used for later life, as well as portray their ideas and concerns both orally and visually.”
The project is viewed as a valuable resource for schools to encourage discussion and debate in the classroom about issues affecting young people. It is funded by V and the Rank Foundation. TrueTube is a project of CTVC Ltd, a registered charity (www.ctvc.co.uk).

Targetbase Claydon Heeley Appoints New Head of Analytics

2009-07-17T06:19:00.000-07:00

London, July 2009: Targetbase Claydon Heeley announces the appointment of Angela Livingstone as new Head of Analytics, with immediate effect.

Since launching in 2008, Targetbase Claydon Heeley has shown a growing commitment to developing its consumer insight department. The appointment of Angela Livingstone is further demonstration of the investment in analytics to bolster ability in building customer relationship value by connecting technology, insight and creative communications. Livingstone joins TBCH from AIS where she was Head of Data Planning, working with major brands such as O2, Abbey, EDF Energy, M&S Money and Vodafone.

Steve Grout, UK CEO of Targetbase Claydon Heeley, comments, “I am delighted to have Angela on board, her data strategy experience is second to none. Her enthusiasm for data and belief that an idea is only as effective as the insight behind it, perfectly matches TBCH’s ambition.”

Targetbase Claydon Heeley is a leader in data-driven marketing strategies, developing integrated direct response campaigns across multiple channels measuring and evaluating effectiveness. Livingstone says, “My background in psychology and interest in human behaviour and technology sparked a lifelong passion for data and consumer insight. I am very excited to be joining the growing Analytics division at TBCH. One of my key responsibilities is to bring together the technology of the team in the US with the insight of the UK team – a challenge that I look forward to rising to. My vision is to bring new technology and tools to clients in the UK, making better, more effective business.”
Livingstone’s arrival endorses TBCH’s commitment to data driven, further highlighting their position as an industry forerunner in building greater Customer Relationship Value.

For further info contact:
emma.burgham@mi-comms.co.uk / lara.finch@mi-comms.co.uk

BABYCENTRE.CO.UK CONFIRMS ITS POSITION AS THE UK’S

2009-07-17T06:15:00.000-07:00

London, 6th July 2009: BabyCentre.co.uk, the UK’s leading parenting website, today announces the publication of its first ABCe audited figures.

The results of the audit give BabyCentre.co.uk a bumper unique user figure of 1.967m unique users per month, confirming its popularity with consumers across the UK and verifying its position as the country’s most visited parenting website.

Since its launch, BabyCentre.co.uk has grown into a ‘must-have’ information and community tool for online mums and mums-to-be across the UK. Reaching over 70% of first time mums in the UK, BabyCentre.co.uk offers practical advice from expert sources, including doctors and midwives, in addition to an active online community where members share their thoughts and experiences of one of life’s greatest experiences with fellow parents. With more than 560,000 community pages viewed each day the results are confirmation that BabyCentre’s subscribers find the resource both invaluable and accessible.

Commenting on the results, Samantha Seal, Commercial Director for BabyCentre.co.uk says: “We are delighted with this fantastic figure. It’s exactly what we had hoped to achieve: to prove that BabyCentre is truly the leading online destination for mums and mums-to-be in the UK; and to demonstrate to existing and potential advertisers the value in partnering with us to reach this important demographic.”

Media Information:
Kirsty Barr / Emma Burgham, mi-comms PR, Tel: 01494 775250

Notes to Editors:
ABCe, the industry owned organisation which provides independently verified traffic and related data, conducted the BabyCentre.co.uk audit between 1st and 31st March 2009.

The only other two ABCe audited parenting sites are BabyExpert (Prima Baby & Pregnancy website) with 268,288 and BabyWorld with 559,711 unique users, respectively.

Founded in 1996 and based in San Francisco, BabyCenter operates in 19 markets globally: US, US Spanish, UK, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, China, India, Arabia, Spain, Brazil, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia and Mexico. BabyCentre has 15 million unique users a month globally and the brand has the ability to reach 67% of all new and expectant online mums in the world.

BabyCentre.co.uk is the UK’s leading website dedicated to providing new, expectant and "actively trying" parents with the information, support and reassurance they need. The UK site averages 1.96 million unique visitors every month and reaches an estimated 80% of all pregnant women who are online.

BabyCentre is a trusted parenting resource that provides practical advice by expert sources, including doctors, midwives and fellow parents. It is the only parenting site accredited by the independent expert organisation Health on the Net (HON) in the UK, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

BabyCentre.co.uk - A Hitwise UK 2008 Online Performance Award Winner!

2009-03-04T03:43:00.000-08:00

BabyCentre.co.uk has been named a Top 10 Award winner in the Lifestyle and Family category in the latest Hitwise UK 2008 Online Performance Awards. The annual Hitwise UK Online Performance Awards recognise excellence in online performance through public popularity, awarding websites in more than 50 key industries online.

In its category BabyCentre.co.uk was rated the leading parenting website, ahead of Bounty, mumsnet and Babyworld. The top two places in the Lifestyle - Family category were awarded to genesreunited.co.uk and ancestry.co.uk (see below for table line-up). Results of the Hitwise UK Online Performance Awards are based on the Internet usage of more than 8 million UK Internet users with winners receiving the greatest market share of visits throughout 2008 in their online industry.

Daniel King, General Manager of Hitwise UK said, "With the dynamics of online marketing continually evolving, the online success of BabyCentre.co.uk during 2008 is an incredible achievement. Receiving a Hitwise UK Online Performance Award acknowledges that BabyCentre is amongst the most popular websites visited by UK Internet users, signifying the strength of their online marketing".

Sasha Miller, Editor of BabyCentre.co.uk added, "This is a great Award for BabyCentre.co.uk and is testimony to the trust and brand loyalty of BabyCentre mums. We're delighted that we're the leading online destination for parents in the UK".

Media information contacts:
mi-comms PR
Tel: 01494 775250
Kirsty Barr, Mobile: 07876 440648

Dads keep 'Mum' when it comes to naming a baby!

2009-02-11T03:47:00.000-08:00

Dads always lose out when it comes to making a final decision on naming a new addition to the family: according to a new study out today from BabyCentre, the UK's leading parenting website.

The poll of 3,000 parents revealed that more than 62% of dads who took part in the survey claim their ideas were completely dismissed by their partner, with 8% of those saying EVERY single suggestion they made was ignored and leaving them to make-do with mum's decision!
Admitting Defeat:31% of dads polled for BabyCentre admitted defeat and accepted a name which wasn't their favourite. And a staggering 36% of all dads admitted they did this just to have an easy life!

It's all in a name
The research also revealed that choosing a name for a baby isn't an easy ride for either parent: 22% fall out over the decision-making process. But once that new name has been chosen, a whopping 64% of parents thought their choice could contribute to their child's success later in life.

And the moral of the story
According to BabyCentre... keep your choice of names close to your chest. Just under 20% of parents-to-be had to change their 'naming' plans after a friend or relative pinched the name in mind before they were able to use it. How irritating!

Media information contacts:
mi-comms PR
Tel: 01494 775250
Kirsty Barr, Mobile: 07876 440648

mi comms wins six-month brief for Discovery EMEA

2009-02-01T03:52:00.000-08:00

mi-comms PR will report into Paul Welling, VP Channels, Emerging Markets (Russia, Middle East, Turkey, Israel, Southern & Eastern Europe), and will have a three-tiered brief: overseeing a review audit of all the division's retained PR agencies; providing senior support and training to the three Press Officers in the department; developing a pan-division Corporate Comms & trade strategy. Fees are undisclosed and Kirsty Barr will be leading the project spending one day a week in-house at Discovery EMEA's offices in Chiswick. She will be supported by one of the mi-comms team.

Media information contacts:
mi-comms PR
Tel: 01494 775250
Kirsty Barr, Mobile: 07876 440648

mi-comms PR Wins BabyCentre UK's First Agency Appointment

2008-12-01T03:55:00.000-08:00

mi-comms PR has won a retained contract to promote BabyCentre, the UK's leading online parenting resource that offers expert advice from doctors, midwives and fellow parents.

The brief was won by the growing agency following a competitive pitch in October, and initially runs as a six month campaign which covers both consumer and corporate media relations.

To date, the UK site of the international BabyCentre brand has not undertaken any proactive localised PR; the consistent and rapid growth of the site, which now has 1.5 million users and is the UK's largest online parenting resource, has meant that BabyCentre UK now wants to develop a media presence and be at the forefront of parenting issues and debate.

mi-comms PR will work alongside Sasha Miller, Editor, and Samantha Seal, Business Development Manager to build brand awareness amongst parents, expectant parents and those actively trying, as well as the Adsales client and agency community.

Kirsty Barr, Director at mi-comms PR, said: "This is a fantastic win for the team in a sector where we have considerable expertise. Parenthood can be a daunting experience, but it can be made easier by accessing BabyCentre and using the information, support and reassurance that's available online 24/7."

Media information contacts:
mi-comms PR
Tel: 01494 775250
Kirsty Barr, Mobile: 07876 440648