Yesterday, Ralph and I had the fortune of attending the launch of The Bonnie Babes Foundation 'National Babies Day' at Parliament House, Canberra.

The launch attracted many politicians and dignitaries, as well as many members of society who have been touched by what the Bonnie Babes support through communication and research - people who have experienced difficulties with miscarriage, still birth and premature babies.

Few people realise that 1 in 4 pregancies are impacted this way - 70,000 per year in Australia.

The launch of National Babies Day was also the parliamentary launch of 'Small Miracles' a publication created by Rachel Stanfield-Porter (founder of The Bonnie Babes Foundation internationally) with the support of many contributors. You can find 'Small Miracles' in bookstores nationally.

As explained by 'The Australian'...

ONE of the more painful chapters in the lives of Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull, the miscarriage of two children, was played out in private more than 20 years ago.

Yesterday, their story became part of a more public retelling of the effects of losing a child, as a contribution to a new book raising money for families confronted with stillbirth, miscarriage and premature birth.

Mr Turnbull helped launch Small Miracles, written by the Bonnie Babes Foundation founder Rachel Stanfield-Porter, at Parliament House in Canberra yesterday, on the same day he celebrated his first year as Opposition Leader.

He did so in the company of Lucy, who has contributed to the book, and his daughter, Daisy, who was born prematurely.

The Opposition Leader The Hon Malcolm Turnbull was there to discuss impact on his family and help with the launch of 'Small Miracles'... for the full article...

View The Australians editorial here: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26084937-5013404,00.html

You can also view Malcolm Turnbull's speech summarised here: http://www.liberal.org.au/news.php?Id=3814 

Probably, many of you are not aware of Malcolm's family experience.

It was also the 1 year anniversary of Mr Turnbull's celebration of the leader of the opposition - a great time to celebrate National Babies Day and the birth of 'Small Miracles'.

Bonnie Babes look forward to making National Babies Day popular as Mothers and Fathers Day - a celebration of life which often begins very early on this planet thanks to the technology we now have available. National Babies Day is also a remembrance of those who left early, without the opportunity to grow with their families and an opportunity for families to discuss their feelings - in their own way.

Additional information...

Malcolm Turnbull proudly sponsors the research project below...

Retinopathy of Prematurity: ‘Ray of Hope’

Retinopathy is the major cause of blindness in premature infants all over the world.  Globally there are 1.4 million children who are born blind.  The growing need to prevent the pathogenesis of Retinopathy of Prematurity has become ever more prevalent as research efforts are directed toward preventing further escalation of the disease to ensure the preterm infant will have a high quality of life with the gift of sight.  It is the hope that by understanding the very early stages of Retinopathy of Prematurity we can improve the changes of developing new forms of treatment that target the earliest microvascular changes rather than waiting until the retina is invaded by numerous pathological, leaky new vessels as currently therapy dictates.

Chief Investigator: Prof Tailoi Chan-Ling
University of Sydney

Information Technology person needed

Bonnie Babes need an internet computer wiz.  The Bonnie Babes Foundation needs a company or individual to donate their time to help with their website and internet needs to get the Bonnie Babes Foundation across the internet.

They have specific needs that can be discussed.  Its not an extensive amount of time but it’s a huge support to our charity.  Sadly over 70,000 babies pass away every year, the Bonnie Babes Foundation is a non government funded charity striving to save babies lives.  To register your support call Debbie on 1300 266 643 or enquiry@bbf.org.au.

‘Small Miracles’

The Bonnie Babes Foundation has just released its new book ‘Small Miracles'.  The book has been published by one of Australia's top publishers Hachette Australia who publish everything from Enid Blyton to Stephen King and many well known titles in between.  The book is now available in Target, Kmart, Myer, Big W, Dymocks, Angus & Robertson, Borders, Collins, 180 independent book sellers and specialty stores.

The book is raising funds for the Bonnie Babes Foundation which helps over 17,000 families every year.  The Bonnie Babes Foundation provides 24 hour, 7 day per week grief counselling services and funds vital medical research into infertility issues, miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal loss  and the charity raises much needed funds for vital equipment for premmie babies. 

The book is written by the Founder of the Bonnie Babes Foundation, Rachel Stanfield-Porter who lost her own two babies and now has two healthy sons.  The book is a compilation of inspiring Australian stories of hope, survival and coping after the loss of a baby from miscarriage, stillbirth and prematurity. It is a book about celebrities and high profile personalities including Australian Women’s Weekly’s Deborah Thomas, footballer Robert Harvey, Dr Cindy Pan, radio personality Dee Dee, actor Rebecca Gibney, actor Tony Bonner and many others who talk about their losses in a very candid way.

This is the first time a book like this has been released into mainstream bookstores and department stores.

To contact the Bonnie Babes Foundation call 1300 266 643 or enquiry@bbf.org.au or www.bbf.org.au.

Don’t be fooled by technological uncertainty and the continued importance of regulation; solar will become more economically attractive. A new era for solar power is approaching. Long derided as uneconomic, it is gaining ground as technologies improve and the cost of traditional energy sources rises. Within three to seven years, unsubsidized solar power could cost no more to end customers in many markets, such as California and Italy, than electricity generated by fossil fuels or by renewable alternatives to solar. By 2020, global installed solar capacity could be 20 to 40 times its level today.

Click to read more ...

Consumers are moving outside the purchasing funnel—changing the way they research and buy your products. If your marketing hasn’t changed in response, it should

If marketing has one goal, it’s to reach consumers at the moments that most influence their decisions. That’s why consumer electronics companies make sure not only that customers see their televisions in stores but also that those televisions display vivid high-definition pictures. It’s why Amazon.com, a decade ago, began offering targeted product recommendations to consumers already logged in and ready to buy. And it explains P&G’s decision, long ago, to produce radio and then TV programs to reach the audiences most likely to buy its products—hence, the term “soap opera.”

Marketing has always sought those moments, or touch points, when consumers are open to influence. For years, touch points have been understood through the metaphor of a “funnel”—consumers start with a number of potential brands in mind (the wide end of the funnel), marketing is then directed at them as they methodically reduce that number and move through the funnel, and at the end they emerge with the one brand they chose to purchase (Exhibit 1). But today, the funnel concept fails to capture all the touch points and key buying factors resulting from the explosion of product choices and digital channels, coupled with the emergence of an increasingly discerning, well-informed consumer. A more sophisticated approach is required to help marketers navigate this environment, which is less linear and more complicated than the funnel suggests. We call this approach the consumer decision journey. Our thinking is applicable to any geographic market that has different kinds of media, Internet access, and wide product choice, including big cities in emerging markets such as China and India.

We developed this approach by examining the purchase decisions of almost 20,000 consumers across five industries and three continents. Our research showed that the proliferation of media and products requires marketers to find new ways to get their brands included in the initial-consideration set that consumers develop as they begin their decision journey. We also found that because of the shift away from one-way communication—from marketers to consumers—toward a two-way conversation, marketers need a more systematic way to satisfy customer demands and manage word-of-mouth. In addition, the research identified two different types of customer loyalty, challenging companies to reinvigorate their loyalty programs and the way they manage the customer experience.

Finally, the research reinforced our belief in the importance not only of aligning all elements of marketing—strategy, spending, channel management, and message—with the journey that consumers undertake when they make purchasing decisions but also of integrating those elements across the organization. When marketers understand this journey and direct their spending and messaging to the moments of maximum influence, they stand a much greater chance of reaching consumers in the right place at the right time with the right message.

Read the full article at McKinseys

Ralph Kerle, Executive Chairman, CLF Report

From our on-going research with business leaders and organisations, it seems Australia at least is beginning to look forward. Whilst comments with CEO's have been guarded, there is a degree of optimism returning to the Australian economy at least..

Revenues are definitely down in most industry sectors and most organisations we have interviewed.  Some areas such as executive education are down as much as 50% to 60%, events and catering seem to be down as much as 40%; the general average being somewhere around 20%. High end products such as white goods can no longer rely on just brand to sustain their revenue as prices drop and the market becomes highly competitive. The jury is still out on viable business models in the social networking and digital media worlds. Of all the organisations we have interviewed, most have reviewed their business plans and operational strategies in light of the global financial crisis, made the hard decisions around the medium term viability of their products and services and their people - who to retain and who to let go.

Having done this, our research indicates CEO's and leaders are now in the process of reflecting and exploring how and what way to go forward. Where should they invest their time, resources and cash in what most of them see as un-chartered and stormy markets ahead? How do they build a management innovation capability that will allow them to surface ideas quickly and prototype inexpensively? How do they skill their senior leaders and middle management to think and act creatively in this new world?

The Creative Leadership Forum's national research project ‘Is Australian Management Creative and Innovative?’ completed in 2008 revealed that whilst 81% of Australians believe they are creative and innovative, less than half believe their organisations are creative.

So herein lies the challenge - how do we make organisations, themselves, creative?

With that challenge in mind, we developed what we understand to be a world first, the Creative Leadership Index (CLI) an internal research/survey tool enabling senior management to obtain a holistic snapshot of the organization as a creative ecology.

The CLI does this by asking employees to respond to a series of 30 questions around organisational culture, environment and practices and the creative mindsets its employees bring to those concepts. This results in a Management Innovation Report outlining the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for the organization to transform itself into a high powered continually innovating operation - a vital strategic capability for any organization in this time of uncertainty generally.

If innovation is a core value for your organization, the CLI enables you to understand how that core value is currently perceived and functioning and what needs to happen to develop its full potential.

The most important learning for us through the design and testing of the CLI has been every single organization is systemically and uniquely creative. Every single organization has its own DNA. Therefore, it is vital to understand and reflect on that DNA because it is after all what makes the organization successful whilst also holding the key to its failure. Looking at external organisational models or theories is of some value simply to understand what exists. However, attempting to copy or impose external models on an already existing DNA is fraught with danger!!

We are delighted to announce the launch of the Creative Leadership Index and would be happy to discuss it with you or your organisation at any time.

To learn more,

Contact: Grant Crossley, Chief Executive, The Creative Leadership Forum

e: gc@thecreativeleadershipforum.com

m: +61 (0) 408 844 009