12th June, 2011 Press Releases

LazyTown Joins Forces with Youth Sports Direct

11th June 2011. For the first time in its history, LazyTown is set to launch an entirely new range of child-friendly products. Unlike traditional licensing products, Sports in Your Backyard is the result of innovative design collaboration between LazyTown and Youth Sports Direct.

The concept is to provide kids and parents with inspirational solutions motivating them to learn and enjoy sport in such a way that it stays with them for life. The product range manifests the LazyTown belief that children should be given the opportunity to be as active as possible through games and play. Sport is at the heart of the brand, and Sports in your Backyard is a strong communicator of that message. The sports being developed first are: soccer, Olympic-themed athletics, and bat sports, ball kit, basketball and golf, to name a few.

Along with an innovative version of the main equipment related to the relevant sport there is a support kit to increase variations of play as well as game cards, a DVD with inspirational material and a link to a website where kids can join the LazyTown Team and get more information as well as register their activities.

Examples of products that are part of the concept are the ThrowAll, the TriBat and the ActivSeat: Aimed at 3 to 11 year olds, the ThrowAll is designed to help children improve their throwing skills. The TriBat – as the name suggests – is based on a cricket bat and has three-sized surfaces (large, medium and thin) to aid kids in their batting skills. The ActivSeat is an inventive take on children’s seating.  A small cup type seat that rocks – in both meanings of the word! It enables small kids to watch the TV while remaining active. It also doubles up as fun activity where kids can jump, balance and build their own obstacle courses.

A UK-based company, Youth Sports Direct is already renowned for creating industry-leading educational materials and more recently innovative sports products. In particular, their range of Training Buddies. Designed to act as fitness training tools to improve posture and technique, they can be used to do a variety of exercise including squats and press ups. The first set of Training Buddies was installed outside at Loughborough University in Britain. Not simply sports products, the Buddies double up as fabulous art installations.

Now that LazyTown is onboard plans are in motion for a new scaled-down version of Training Buddies for children based on the LazyTown characters. Jo Simpson, Managing Director of Youth Sport Direct says, “We are passionate about the importance of physical activity for all children. The early years are a special time, and I knew that by working with LazyTown we could further support our joint missions. Important too is the fact that at Youth Sport Direct the profit we make is invested into future youth projects.”

The company has also supported over 20,000 schools by providing teaching resources, kit and sports equipment. “Quality is a key element of our work,” continues Simpson. “All of our products are developed with the users’ needs in mind and then tested and researched until we have the perfect solution.”

Training Buddies are ready to launch and the other products will be the first to launch under the Sports in your Backyard theme no later than spring 2012 coinciding with the Olympic-themed government campaign in UK (article p2). It marks the beginning of exciting times for both LazyTown and Youth Sport Direct with other developments in the pipeline. The aim is all about setting a new standard in activity products to engage children and their families.

Agust Ingason, Executive Vice President of LazyTown, says that Youth Sport Direct offered the high caliber partnership that LazyTown wanted. “I felt that the current offerings in the market were only replicating sports equipment as toys. The vision we had was to set a new standard in activity products for kids. We knew that they needed to be creative, energetic and irresistible so that children would want to experience them again and again. We concluded that YSD had such an impressive history, it was the company we needed to work with to achieve this. “

12th June, 2011 Press Releases

LazyTown takes off in the USA

11th June 2011. LazyTown has a new broadcast partner in the United States. Sprout, a parent-targeted 24-hour preschool destination available on TV, on-demand and online, has bought the rights to LazyTown Series 1 & 2 and LazyTown Extra, for both broadcast and its VOD service, with 18 million downloads per month. The channel’s Sproutonline.com website will also feature a host of LazyTown games and coloring pages, engaging viewers – and those who don’t have access to the channel via the TV – when the show is not on the air.

We believe that Sprout is the ideal partner to carry our message of fun, health and activity to America’s preschoolers – and, of course, their families. The channel, which is available in 50 million homes, uniquely follows the daily routine of a preschooler, from breakfast to bedtime, with its distinctive interactive programming and original hosted segments. LazyTown will be in great company, with classics Sesame Street®, Bob the Builder™, Barney & Friends™ and Thomas & Friends™, on Sprout’s roster of shows.

“Sprout is the perfect partner for LazyTown for several reasons,” says Gudmundur Magnason, Managing Director of LazyTown Entertainment. “Number one is how Sprout positions itself as a service for parents, rather than simply as entertainment for their kids. This is completely in line with LazyTown’s positioning as a tool to help parents raise healthier children. LazyTown will also cater to the older members of Sprout viewership, which is perfect from a licensing perspective.”

Andrew Beecham, Senior Vice President of Programming at Sprout agrees. “We are thrilled to have LazyTown join the Sprout family. At Sprout, we’re all about creating opportunities for preschoolers and their families to learn and share together. We believe that it’s never too soon to inspire children to embrace a healthy, active lifestyle and LazyTown’s fun, interactive approach to living healthy is the perfect recipe.”

LazyTown makes health fun for kids, and is also a tool for parents to raise healthy kids. The partnership with Sprout is directly on-brand for LazyTown as Sprout has a #1 Q-score amongst children’s television networks for moms with children aged 2-5 years, and is #1 for co-viewership (mothers watching with kids) for moms aged 18-49 with kids between 2-5 years. More parents and children will be able to watch and interact together with LazyTown than ever before.

LazyTown begins airing exclusively on Sprout daily from September. In January, a two-hour LazyTown block will be launched, as a co-production with Sprout.

The block will have links and interstitials from LazyTown as well as a full half-hour LazyTown episode. It contains new content produced both in the LazyTown studios in Iceland and on the ground in the US. The two-hour block will air in the afternoon.

This development coincides with LazyTown signing with New York management and licensing agency, Joester Loria. With their help, LazyTown looks forward to a fruitful year ahead for in the US.

4th March, 2011 Press Releases

Newcastle United Fans Choose their ‘Man of the Match’ with new Screenreach Technology

The Screach Innovative platform can make any screen, anywhere fully interactive – with no hardware and no set up cost.

4th March 2011. ScreenReach Interactive, a tech start up from the UK, today announced the use of its Screach platform by marketing company Think Innovative and their client Newcastle United to enable for the first time ever fans at home games, starting on 05/03/11 with Newcastle v Everton, to interactively vote with their Smartphone for their Fans ‘Man of the Match.’

Promoted on Real Radio and running to the end of the season, all fans need to do to vote is simply download the FREE SCREACH App from the App store*, hit the SCREACH tab and enter code ‘9’ while the Match is on– the experience will load and fans can select their Fan’s Man of the Match.

Screach is a new, unique interactive digital media platform that allows anyone to create real-time two way interactive experiences between a smart device (through the Screach App) and any content, on any screen with no need for additional hardware. The Screachxml language can create all kinds of interactive experiences, transforming Smartphones into quiz answer pads, polling tools, games controllers and much, much more.

The two-way nature of Screach means consumers can interact with content and win instant, real-world prizes sent straight to their Smart Device – giving consumers compelling reasons to engage with digital signage, TV shows and ads in new and exciting ways.

“ This is a huge step forward for new media, and it’s exciting that the world’s first interactive media will be launched locally at the home match where Newcastle United take on Everton, “ says Think Innovative Director, John Atkinson. “ For me as both a fan and running company that is constantly thinking of new ways to get interaction between brands and customers I just think this Fan’s Man of the Match campaign is where it’s at right now,” he added.

“We are really excited that fans will for the first time be able to interactively vote for their Man of the Match at Newcastle United home games,” said Paul Rawlings, CEO of ScreenReach. “In modern life we are surrounded by screens, but most of them offer a passive, one way experience. With Screach these screens can become fully interactive; giving in this case football clubs an opportunity to really engage their fans on a whole new level. As a fan myself I just think it’s brilliant to be able to vote for who I want in real-time and even get rewarded.”

Fans can vote as many times as they like. Votes can be cast either whilst fans are at the match, or listening to commentary on Real Radio or online. To celebrate the launch of the SCREACH Man of the Match Newcastle United are giving everybody who votes a 20% discount for the Official Club Store. If a fan logs in through Facebook, they’ll also have their face displayed on the virtual team sheet on the screens in bar concourse areas.

About ScreenReach Interactive

ScreenReach Interactive, a UK based tech start up has already raised over $1.2m in seed Angel funding since it’s establishmant in Summer 2010. It’s Screach platform and App can make any screen, anywhere fully 2 way interactive at no set up cost and with no additional hardware needed – just a screen, a smart device and a bit of imagination. Screenreach recently launched it’s Screach platform at Demo2011 Spring (www.demo.com ) and has recently announced a raft of live contracts with the likes of RMG Networks (interactive experiences in 800 coffee shops in the US) & The Royal Armouries Museum (interactive exhbits) which in the first month alone had over 12,000 interactions, compared to only 107 ‘check ins’ at the same location achieved by other location based services.

Learn more at: http://www.screenreach.com & http://www.screach.com

About Think Innovative

Think Innovative is a Sales Promotion Agency offering inventive and productive campaigns to advertise, promote, and most importantly engage with a target audience. Think Innovative has a portfolio of products and services that will transform your idea of advertising or marketing into a dreamland of opportunity.

Learn more at: http://www.thinkinnovative.co.uk

For further information, please contact me at suzanne@stunningpr.com or 07957 371840

17th February, 2011 Press Releases

5 Exercises to Avoid Lower Back Pain

According to the British Medical Journal, most people suffer from lower back pain at some point, and while many people recover, between 10 and 25 percent of people with low back pain have long periods where they’re unable to work. Treatments for back pain include painkillers, physiotherapy, osteopathy or even surgery. But, according to top personal trainer Greg Brookes (http://www.gbpersonaltraining.com/) many people can alleviate their pain through practising five simple exercises.

1. Stretch your Hip Flexors
Your Hip Flexors are a group of muscles responsible for raising your knees to your chest. They are a very active and easily get involved in movements that they are not primary designed to do. The Hip Flexors over activation and lack of stretching often results in a shortening of the muscles. As the muscles shorten they start to pull on the Lumbar Spine and ultimately create a more Lordotic curve in lower back. This posture is easily recognized with the buttocks pushed out at the back and belly protruding out at the front.
Solution: Stretch the Hip Flexors by taking a deep lunge position, rotating your pelvic bone towards your chest and bracing your abs.

2. Lengthen your Hamstrings
Following lengthy periods of sitting with bent knees the Hamstrings shorten. Shortened hamstrings attach to the bottom of your pelvis and prevent correct rotation of the pelvis during forward bending. An inability to rotate at the pelvis results in a compensation in the lower back and ultimately lower back problems.
Solution: Stretch the Hamstrings by sitting with your lower back against a wall and straightening your legs. Keep the chest up and proud.

3. Improve Thoracic Spine Mobility
The Thoracic Spine is situated from the base of the neck to the mid back and is anatomically designed for movement. The Lumbar Spine with its larger vertebrae is designed for stability and lack of movement. Most people due to repetitive seating positions have “locked up” Thoracic Spines resulting in limited movement. The Lumbar spine is then forced to produce movement that it is not anatomically designed to perform and hence lower back issues.
Solution: Mobilise the Thoracic Spine by sitting tall on a backless chair and holding a stick across the shoulders. Brace the abs to lock the lower back and rotate slowly alternating sides.

4. Strengthen the Inner Core
The Inner Core is designed to work as a compression chamber to support the Lower Spine. The Pelvic Floor and Diaphragm are on top and bottom, the Transverse Abdominis goes around the sides and the Multifidus is at the back. An inability, through excess sitting, to activate the inner core leaves the Lumber Spine “Naked” during movement.
Solution: Strengthen the Inner Core by lying face down with the head on the hands. Breathe in deeply and push the belly into the floor, then breathe out deeply and pull the belly off the floor.

5. Use Correct Abdominal Training
The world’s obsession with flat stomachs and 6-pack Abs has resulted in a whole multitude of abdominal exercises. Unfortunately the majority of these exercises go against the true function of the Core muscles and only exacerbate existing problems. The Cores primary role is to provide stabilisation and a strong platform for other muscles to function from. Sit ups and crunches work in the total opposite direction of the Cores true function and only increase excess flexion in the Lumbar Spine. These exercises in turn increase the hunched over desk seated position and further stimulate and shorten the over active Hip Flexors.
Solution: Work on Core Stability by holding a rigid Press Up position while slowly raising one arm and taping the opposite shoulder. The less conditioned can omit the shoulder taps.

You can see videos of all the exercises required to create a strong core to prevent lower back issues by following Greg’s “Core Conditioning Course” here: http://gbptmembers.com/store/products/33

For further information please contact: Suzanne@stunningpr.com, 07957 371840