Video Games Good for Kids: Sony, Yahoo!

A study by Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) reveals that American parents recognize the benefits of their children playing videos games. The benefits include hand-eye coordination, problem solving, and typing skills improvement for children. And 87% of parents, who participated in the survey, play video games with their children. Yahoo!’s website, Shine, which is said to be reaching 10 million women each month, hosted the survey in June 2008. The results are being published exclusively in the November issue of Family Circle magazine.

In addition to basic education elements, the survey suggests video games are teaching children to think strategically. The majority of video games require players to follow rules, think tactically, make fast decisions, and fulfill numerous objectives to win. 

Just Ask Baby on Internet TV Channel

Just Ask Baby is an online service that provides parents science-based information on the social, emotional, and intellectual development of their children in the early years. Now it has launched a TV channel, which is claimed to be the world’s first broadcast-quality online, on-demand TV channel for parents. It’ll deliver child development information in the form of science-based TV shows, which feature a baby TV host.

“Just Ask Baby is filmed extensively from the baby’s perspective to help parents understand how the world looks and feels to a child,” said Mark Hamilton, founder. “The videos are entertaining, which makes the information very accessible. But they are also based on the most serious of science, which has developed significantly over the past years. This is not the parenting theory of one person, but the collective thinking of the great scientists of infant development.”

Verizon, Yasmin Davidds Mobilize Youth against Domestic Violence

Verizon Wireless is partnering with author and empowerment specialist, Yasmin Davidds, to create the Verizon Wireless HopeLine and Yasmin Davidds Mobilizing Voices campaign. It’s a culturally relevant domestic violence prevention and awareness campaign, which calls upon Latino youth to empower themselves and help end the cycle of domestic violence within their community. It’ll focus on facilitating a dialogue on dating violence and providing Latino youth with the tools necessary to improve and foster healthy relationships.

Click here for Video

Ogilvy Helps Cancer Research UK Roll Out Viral Campaign

Leading brand communications agency, Ogilvy Group UK, is launching a campaign for its client Cancer Research UK to tie in with Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM), which runs from 1st to 31st October. The campaign – entitled “Breast Awareness Guy” – aims to encourage donations of at least £2 per month to Cancer Research UK. The campaign consists of a short viral film, which will be sent out via email and seeded around the Internet.

The film – also supported by email and banner display advertising – directs women to a microsite (www.breastawarenessguy.org/) where they can learn about breast awareness, the work of Cancer Research UK and how to make a donation.

Click here for Video

Sony to Encourage Reading with its Reader Digital Book

With an aim to instill reading habits among the U.S. youth, Sony is leading a campaign called “Reader Revolution” to encourage digital reading. In conjunction with National Book Month, the company will unleash thousands of “Reader Revolutionaries” throughout October and beyond at various retail outlets and at special events around the country to help people experience reading on Sony’s Reader Digital Book firsthand.

Starting today (Oct. 1), Sony is beginning an extended “read-in” with two-time world record-holder Dave Farrow who will serve as a designated reader in a Manhattan storefront, reading digital books on the Reader around the clock for 30 days.