Relax with Panasonic's Massage Chair

Frankie Goes To Hollywood had some good advice when they told us to "Relax" in 1984. Panasonic's Urban Collection Massage Chair helps us do that even better.

A more high-end, higher-point reward option, the Urban Collection Massage Chair offers four pre-set programs with eight additional manual modes that result in a combination of 44 different types of massage experiences. One mode in particular, the "Chiro Mode," which is specially designed to provide better muscle relaxation and eliminate tired, over-worked muscles.

The EP1285 model features a 14 airbag cirulation system that provides a more complete lower body massage. An adjustable ottoman is included in the chair that also fails to neglect the importance of a good old-fashioned calf and shin massage. While massaging the legs, the ottoman raises and lowers your legs in 20 degree increments to alleviate the stiffness in your lower back, hips and thighs.

Stress is a common thing in a work environment. Taking care of yourself, even with a quick 15 sitting time in a Panasonic Urban Collection Massage Chair, can do wonders for your health. Releasing tension in over-worked muscles while also helping alleviate stress can help yourself (or any worker for that matter) be more productive and efficient for the next working day.

Engagement Down in the Ad Agency World

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You hear about ad agencies being a place full of creatives and creative workspaces for some organizations. A recent article from Advertising Age suggests that employee engagement within many agencies is actually down.

In an article published March 8th a bottom line statement noted that agencies in general don't do a good job of communicating, training or motivating employees. As Andrew Bennet stated within that article:

"We are a people-focused industry but we don't embrace that with our employees."

The ad world is an industry almost famous for its turnover rate. Though these organizations push the fact that talent is the number one asset, it seems to be a mentality not held well for many agencies. In a 4A's and Arnold survey, 90% of the employees within those agencies felt that they had to train themselves in what they do from day-to-day. They didn't feel motivated or very engaged by their upper management.

"The average Starbucks barista gets more training than the average communications employee," Benett said.

Employee turnover is a costly business endeavor. No matter what industry you are in, employee communication is a crucial part of business success. In the article, Bennet is quoted as saying how revenue is taking a priority over people for many agencies in the biz.

If you put the people first, the revenue will follow suit. Not having to front the costly recruiting and re-training will cut costs significantly for any organization. Engagement is a crucial component for a company bottom line.

What do you all think?

ViewSonic Brings 3D Recording Home: Merch Monday

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We've spoken a bit about 3D technology coming into the home via 3D televisions. ViewSonic is making 3D entertainment even more practical.

ViewSonic's new 3DV5 HD camcorder puts the user in control of being able to create their own 3D enterainment. The device is capable of shooting 2D only stills and videos but it's the 3D component that really makes this stand out.

Want to preview what your videos will look like instantly? No 3D glasses needed! The 3DV5's 2.4-inch LCD screen allows the user to preview their photos and/or footage in 3D without the need for glasses. Should you want to view your media creations on a computer, red and cyan glasses come with the camera for larger screen viewings.

Should you want to share these videos online, ViewSonic makes it easy. The 3DV5 is integrated with ArcSoft Wizard. All it takes is one button for your video creations to go live on your YouTube channel or Facebook page. Of course, the full 3D effect will require glasses for your viewers.

What other ways are gadgets making 3D more practical?

Facebook Likes = Instant Rewards?

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We've discussed on this blog before whether or not rewards could improve Facebook engagement. It seems that one company believes this possibility to be true.

According to insidefacebook.com, Momentous Media has released a new app called Insto.re is allowing retail locations to rewards likes. It's almost like they read our post way back when (okay, maybe not but...). The whole idea is to improve the amount of Facebook likes a business can get by providing something to their "Likers" in return.

The app allows store owners to pick which page they want to drive Likes for and set up a promotion accordingly. For example, if you run a coffee shop, you could offer a free cup of coffee in exchange for a Facebook Like. Once the promo is set up, Insto.re sets up a mobile-friendly custom web page for the coupon and even provides a free tent card to display at your store explaining the promotion. The tent card is a crucial part of the process with no loyalty program being complete without a clear explanation of what actions require a reward.

Could we see more things like this? This is one method of using noncash rewards to drive behaviors, even if that behavior is something as simple as liking a Facebook page. The one thing that businesses will face won't be attracting fans as much as doing what they can to keep their fans.

Could a rewards system work to maintain fan relationships as well? What do you all think?

The Earthquake's Ripple Effect in the Merch World

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Japan is still trying to avoid more catastrophe and try to make sense of all the devastation they've faced as a result of their 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami. The earthquake has a major impact on a global scale with a heavy amount of the consumer electronics industry being seated on the tiny island.

So what effect will this have on CE awards? Right off the bat, not a whole lot.

According to several consumer electronic manufacturers in Japan, production of several components of large brands have been suspended for the time being. Reports of worker injuries have been fairly minimal inside the plants but enough damage has been sustained by some to put production temporarily to a halt. Though some factories are still functional, some ports are destroyed, making the shipping of products even more difficult. With the delay in shipments, the industry as a whole probably won't feel the effects of this until the summer, since much of the inventory for now is already here.

Even with this affect, our concerns should focus more so on the relief efforts and recovery of the people in Japan and not so much on the electronics. People always come first.

What other news do you all know regarding the quake's effect on merchandise and our industry as a whole?

Could Fung Shui Improve Engagement?

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Sometimes the things that seem the most irrelevant that make the biggest impacts.

It all started when Program Manager Supervisor Charlene Reavey moved into her new office here at Hinda. Her first impression of the layout didn't exactly fit what she liked.

The new open space"It felt cramped," Reavey said. "It didn't encourage open communication. The room felt like me sitting behind a desk while anyone who was in there listened to me."

Her office layout wasn't uncommon from many offices out there. You walked into the room and there sat the desk, parallel to the door facing. Not too bad honestly but Reavey wanted to change things up.

"I felt closed in and cluttered...I feel like your environment can have a direct reflection on your productivity," Reavey explained about the change. "I wanted the feeling of the room to be a more open and encourage mroe collaborative thinking than to just simply be an office."

Creative stuff. Eventually, Reavey shifted her desk around to a more open look. After several weeks with the change, Reavey could tell a huge difference.

"It completely opened things up to encourage more team-based collaborative work. It helps open up not only myself but the other people coming into the room. Most people like it better...they feel it's more conversational."

One of our own inside Hinda found that a little thing such as re-arranging the furniture in her office could make her employees feel even more comfortable, make her more approachable, and ultimately improve engagement with those she worked with. It wasn't a dramatic change, but just subtle enough to make significant improvements.

What do you think? Could the fung shui of an office improve employee engagement?

Our Social Media Footprint

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A lot of our readers and subscribers are loyal fans via our blog. However, our social media footprint expands beyond just our blog. You may have noticed the links on the right of the page...if you click through to the website. If you're a subscriber, these links may have been lost on you. Below are a few other ways to connect with Hinda online.

Twitter

You can find us as @hinda_incentive on this microblogging site. We are fairly active on here and actually like to engage in conversation with others. It's a great conversational tool for us and we love to chat with anyone willing. This is also a venue where we post new videos, blog posts, and even a few fun photos from inside our own office.

LinkedIn

More of a LinkedIn fan? We can relate. There's a growing audience on LinkedIn. Though there isn't much opportunity for engagement from a brand perspective, anyone can follow our activity online. Simply click here or on the LinkedIn icon on the left of the page to follow us on LinkedIn. On our page you can see our new hires, most recent tweets and blog posts, and even learn (and recommend) some of our services like Custom Packaging or the Warehouse Dash.

YouTube

Want to get a more visual representation of who we are and what we do? Our YouTube page is a great start. The incentives industry has a habit of being hard to understand and our role in it isn't the easiest for many to wrap their heads around. These professionally produced videos tell viewers more about the Warehouse Dash, Custom Packaging, and other better information about Hinda in general. Click here to view our YouTube channel. If you're a registered user, subscribing to our channel would also be a pretty good start :)

Facebook

We've not done a lot on Facebook until recently but now like to hang out here online as well. Recently, we've created a new Welcome splash page for new visitors. The Welcome page shows off how to contact us via QR code, info and links to more info about the Warehouse Dash and Custom Packaging, along with some fun photos. In addition, our Fan Page is where we show off photos from inside the walls of our company, host all of our YouTube videos, and even post content straight from this blog. We've also integrated our Fan Page with our Places page. That way, if you ever have the pleasure of checking-in at our office, you'll link right to our fan page.

QR Codes

Using a service called JumpScan, we've made contacting us through mobile devices even easier. Using a scanner application on your smartphone, you can simply scan the 2D barcode on the right of our home page (will need to click through to see it) and pull up ways to contact us via phone, email and social stream with the simple touch of a button. Doesn't get much easier than that.

Want us to connect with you? Shoot some contact information in the comments below, drop a note through the contact page or send us a message via one of the above social channels. We'd love to hear from you!