Eye exercises are used to treat a variety of vision disorders¹, help relieve tension and strengthen eye muscles.  Here we go!

“The Ummm”
Have you ever been frozen by a question you should have the answer to, but don’t? You stall by looking to the sky then to the ground, hoping the answer will appear out of nowhere. It’s actually a good eye exercise. Give it a go.

Keep your head still and look up as if you’re trying to see the top of your head, then look down as far as you can. Repeat 10 to 20 times. Finish the exercise by looking straight ahead and blinking a few times.

“The Mona Lisa”
The sign of a good portrait, whether painted or photographed, is the eyes seem to follow you around the room, like a “Scooby-Doo” cartoon. Turns out it’s an excellent way to tone your eye muscles.

Again, keep your head still and look quickly from side to side. Do that 10 to 20 times then end by looking straight ahead and blinking a few times.

“The Oh … My … Gawd”
Think classic eye roll, without the teenage angst. Keep your head still and start with your eyes in the 12:00 position. Move your eyes to the next hour, pause a second, then move to the next hour. Go around the clock five to ten times then rest your eyes by closing them for a few seconds.

“The Wynkin’, Blynkin’ and Nod”
Unlike the children’s poem of the same name, this exercise is meant to induce alertness and brain stimulation. Alternate wynking with one eye, then the other, then blynk both eyes. Repeat 10 to 20 times, then rest your eyes for a few seconds. WARNING: This exercise could bring unwarranted responses if performed in mixed company.

Think of it this way, the stronger your eye muscles are the less you’ll have to say when you get that “special” present for your birthday.

¹ Dr. Janice Wensveen, clinical associate professor at the University of Houston’s College of Optometry – ScienceDaily

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FROM THE WORK WELL
The Work Well is a source of knowledge to help make your
work culture a little happier + healthier.

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Just think about the mountains of additional capital that Netflix would have invested into Qwikster had it not been for the attention paid to the social media outcry. Following the announcement, customers were quick and furious to express outrage (not to mention confusion). This coming on the heels of price increases and other changes in July 2011, including charging separately for the mail and streaming services. Within a month of announcing the Qwikster launch, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings admitted to the blunder by explaining, “It is clear that for many of our members, two websites would make things more difficult, so we are going to keep Netflix as one place to go for streaming and DVDs.”  While Netflix is still reeling from this misstep (even I continue to look for a better alternative), you have to credit them with a fast reaction to the public outcry. I can only imagine what would have happened had they taken a clamshell approach and not listened or engaged in the conversation.

And how about the financial behemoths at Bank of America? Once they put the word out about a $5/month charge for using your debit card, the power of today’s social landscape kicked in. The result forced them to rethink how to preserve the revenue stream of their debit program. (On October 1, 2011, the Durbin Amendment went into effect, which reduces the fees financial institutions accrue from debit card swipes.)

Without the advent of the Internet and the social media bandwagon, there would not have been an efficient channel for consumers to voice their discontent in an aggregated and powerful manner. Back in the day, Bank of America may have invested enormous amounts of capital in establishing their processes, procedures and infrastructure to enable this new charge, only to suffer a long painful attrition of unhappy customers as a result of their decision.

At long last, the bubble is settling squarely between the lines on the playing field between consumer and capitalist. So the question is: will your business listen, engage and thrive in this new world of consumer empowerment or will you close the clamshell and merely hope to survive?

Primary Contact, Artspace: Mary Poole, Executive Director
Office: 919-821-2787

Cary, NC — January 16, 2011 – When it comes to discovering, exploring or feeding your inner artist, look no further than the triangle’s hub for creative inspiration, Artspace.  Recently, Artspace realized that their website did not embody the creative experience that can be found in their resident studios or gallery exhibits. So, who better to turn to than the partner agency that helped establish their brand personality and set the tone for the promise of the Artspace experience three years ago. Re-enter R+M, a brand development and management agency.

“Artspace has inspired more than two million people to experience the creative process over the past 25 years,” stated Executive Director Mary Poole.  “When we engaged R+M three years ago to assist us in clearly articulating our unique value to the community, they got it. They helped us establish the attributes of our brand, determine our position in the marketplace and connect emotionally to the triangle community. When it came to refreshing our presence on the web, we knew we could count on R+M to capture the essence of the Artspace brand and deliver it in a virtual environment. As expected, the result is fantastic.”

The launch of the refreshed website for Artspace comes on the heels of their 10th annual Collectors Gala and 25th Anniversary Celebration, which benefited Artspace exhibitions, educational programming and community outreach to children and adults in difficult circumstances.

“The timing of this work was a perfect opportunity to ensure the community sees Artspace, across every channel, in a manner that is true to their brand and their commitment to inspire creative energy,” stated R+M’s Executive Vice President Greg Norton. “Everyday, we at R+M immerse ourselves in the creative process to address all varieties of challenges for our clients. Continuing our partnership and support of Artspace keeps us tuned-in to the role that creativity plays in the hyper-competitive corporate world. That makes this partnership a true win-win for all involved.”

About R+M
R+M creates experiences that get people talking about brands that positively impact our health, well-being and social responsibility. The agency’s whole-brand approach leverages traditional tactics alongside unconventional approaches that connect our clients with their customers. Though the agency has garnered its share of local and national recognition, it’s most proud of its passion for hunger relief and prevention, encouraging kids to be active and getting client high fives for making marketing budgets act twice their size. Get activated at www.rmagency.com.

About Artspace
Artspace is a nonprofit visual art center dedicated to providing arts education and community outreach programs, creating an environment of more than 100 professional artists and presenting nationally acclaimed exhibitions. Located in downtown Raleigh in the historic Sanders Ford building, Artspace has been providing the community with the opportunity to interact with working artists and to participate in hands-on arts education since 1986. For more information about Artspace, exhibitions or membership, get inspired at www.artspacenc.org.

After an exhaustive six-month search, we selected a new Internet provider that could boost our service to the level we had longed for, at a price that was actually less than our current contract. (High fives and sighs of relief all around.) All that was left was the dotted line.

But this is where the customer service story starts to go down the tubes.

I sent an email to our account manager with the corrections and received a revised contract containing only half the corrections made, plus the addition of a totally new error. And this version of the contract came with an unexpected caveat: we had to sign now because the rates were expiring. Now, usually delays in contract signing are due to negotiations over money and terms, but we were just trying to get a contract that we recognized. It took three weeks and multiple conversations to get a correct contract. Our account manager was reassigned (hopefully to a retraining site).

Unfortunately, we’re not finished. Now we move to the company we were about to leave.

In order to successfully disconnect from our existing provider, I placed a call to their Customer Care department. I was given a list of procedures to follow in order to prevent an automatic rollover of the current contract.

Care Person #1 directed me to send a disconnect request on our stationery to their corporate office, a copy to my sales rep and a follow-up phone call to him – apparently to remind him to read his mail. After I completed the three tasks from Care Person #1, I placed a second call to Customer Care to confirm everything was covered. Care Person #2 informed me that I should have contacted a completely different division by email, which I immediately did.

Now, we were at Care Person #3. He informed me the request for disconnection should have been signed by one of three authorized people at R+M, as they could not process the request using my signature. The first person named was no one who had ever worked at R+M. The second was an assistant who left over a year before the existing contract was signed. And the third person was our president. (He got one out of three.) I asked Care Person #3 to check the records, as I was the person who actually signed the existing contract. If I was the one who started it, I should be able to stop it.

Primary Contact, Geami: Kristen Dauzat, Sales and Marketing Analyst
Office: 919-654-7700

Cary, NC — November 17, 2011 – 100 percent recyclable, eco friendly packaging materials swaddling the products we buy while in transit – that’s what we consider packaging with a conscience. Fortunately, Fortune 500 companies and Top 100 catalogers around the world feel the same way. It’s also why we at R+M, a brand experience agency, are proud to announce that Geami^TM and their GreenWrap^TM family of products has appointed us as their agency of record.

Geami is a leading innovator in protective, eco friendly packaging. Their GreenWrap product line of paper-based protective packaging materials provides sustainable packaging solutions for businesses looking for an alternative to oil-based plastic packing materials such as bubble packaging, foam wrap and air pillows. The proven cushioning properties of GreenWrap help to ensure that products will survive the rigors of small parcel shipping and arrive at the customer’s door in good condition. Nearly 20,000 packages are shipped daily with their contents protected by GreenWrap packing materials.

“We were looking for direction in how to structure the value of our product lines and articulate that value in a manner that would resonate with our diverse target audiences. R+M’s ability to help us see our value from our customers’ point of view was crucial and the exact insight we were in search of. They brought to the table the strategic thinking and creative focus we needed, helping align our branding and messaging strategies for maximum effect. We’re excited about this partnership and look forward to great things to come,” said Braulio Libero, President.

R+M’s relationship with Geami involves end-to-end guidance and support to include corporate and product brand management, marketplace positioning, message development and execution of communications initiatives.

“A perfect match,” said Greg Norton, R+M’s Executive Vice President, “that’s the only way to describe our relationship with Geami. They have a compelling product line perfectly positioned to capitalize on the ever-growing green trend and a management team that is both strategically innovative and open minded. As a brand experience agency with a penchant for social responsibility we could not have scripted a better partnership.”

About R+M
R+M creates experiences that get people talking about brands that positively impact our health, well-being and social responsibility. The agency’s whole-brand approach leverages traditional tactics alongside unconventional approaches that connect our clients with their customers. Though the agency has garnered its share of local and national recognition, it’s most proud of its passion for hunger relief and prevention, encouraging kids to be active and getting client high fives for making marketing budgets act twice their size. Get activated at www.rmagency.com.

About Geami
Geami uses patented technology to create paper-based protective packaging that is designed to protect a wide range of products during shipping and handling. Founded in 1994 and based in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, Geami is a privately held company supplying sustainable packaging supplies to Fortune 500 companies, Top 100 catalogers and light-volume shippers worldwide. The 100 percent recyclable GreenWrap family of eco friendly packaging materials serves as a cost-effective replacement for oil-based materials such as foams, bubble packaging and air pillows. Nearly 20,000 packages are shipped daily with their contents protected by GreenWrap. Learn more by visiting www.geami.com/greenwrap.html.

Cary, N.C. – October 27, 2011 – Celebrating their 125th year as a pillar in the scientific and engineering research community, Sigma Xi isn’t just looking back; they are moving forward.

In June of 2011 R+M was selected as an agency partner of Sigma Xi to help re-energize the organizational brand.

“We were impressed by R+M’s ability to assess the changes in our environment from moment one. They provided key strategic insight and recommendations that will be indispensable going forward,” shared Jerry Baker, Executive Director at Sigma Xi.

R+M’s engagement began with not only gathering a thoughtful understanding of the organization’s history, but most importantly a targeted analysis of programs, benefits and communications through the eyes of an evolving membership. Additionally, R+M penned a phased plan of attack to address present membership shortfalls and long-term brand value.

“Change is never easy to chew, but Sigma Xi is taking it one bite at a time. Their advantage is that they’re starting at the heart of the matter — what matters to their membership. With an informed strategic plan, our collaborative team is now in a strong position to phase in the changes necessary to make the connections required,” observed Susan M. Nettles, director of brand culture at R+M.

About R+M
R+M creates experiences that get people talking about brands that positively impact our health, well-being and social responsibility. The agency’s whole-brand approach leverages traditional tactics alongside unconventional approaches that connect our clients with their customers. Though the agency has garnered its share of local and national recognition, it’s most proud of its passion for hunger relief and prevention, encouraging kids to be active and getting client high fives for making marketing budgets act twice their size. Get activated at www.rmagency.com.

About Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society
Founded in 1886, Sigma Xi is the international honor society of research scientists and engineers, with more than 200 Nobel Prize winners in its historical membership. In addition to publishing American Scientist magazine, the non-profit Society awards hundreds of grants annually to student researchers and sponsors a variety of programs that support science and engineering.

Red demands attention. This color has so much power and depth – we always seem to know what red wants. It grabs your attention then either gives you a warning or makes a statement. Either way, you get the message. Red is an appetite stimulate, it turns on the part of your brain that says, “mmm mmm, …” Fast food restaurants love it! Red represents strength, power, vitality, and is the first color that comes to mind when you think sexy. However, red is not sexy if you’re talking finances.

Pink is strong but kind. Pink has successfully bridged the gender divide and has managed to keep some powerful emotional qualities. It can create and environment of calm, innocence and soft warmth (even in prison inmates), but still demands respect. Pink stands for romance, passion, confidence, and apparently is all the craze with the vampire crowd. (Sorry Lien!! I had to!)

Orange is friendly and energetic. It connects with both children and adults, conveying joy, health and accomplishment. It’s warm, cheery and exciting. It has both an independent and sociable side, and depending on the shade, it can seem more earthy and grounded, or bright and active. Careful you don’t go so bright that you step into that “neon-reflector warning” type color, unless you’re Joseph Carnevale.

Yellow is versatile. It can be a confidant warning color or a calming color of positivity. Yellow is warm sunshine and light. Everything you associate with sunshine is what yellow can kindle in others. Yellow has been used as the “first” for may things in business, like the post-it note and the highlighter because it gets your attention faster than any other color. It appeals to intellectuals and is excellent for accenting. Keep this color in check, too much of the bright hue is unnerving and can send some to the loony bin.

Green is alive and kickin’. Green is a balancing color. It is very tolerant of other colors and makes for a perfect compliment to more exciting ones like red (hello Christmas!). Green has the ability to evoke tranquility, patience and confidence. On food packaging it’s often used to indicate when something is healthy and fresh. Its deep tones convey status and wealth; its pale tones are soothing.

Blue is so true. The most popular color in the US of A, blue is loyal and stable. It summons authority, dignity and faithfulness. It’s rare that you’ll see the color blue in restaurants because it’s considered a suppressant and slows mental function. Many businesses believe you simply can’t go wrong with blue. Does that mean it’s right? If you look around and find yourself in a sea of sameness you may want to reconsider if true blue is doing you justice. Don’t be afraid to rock the boat.

Purple is full of spirit. It’s a dignified color that knows how to express itself calmly or with great energy. Nothing is more powerful than when nature makes purple come to life, as in “purple mountain magesties.” Purple signifies stature, beauty and intrigue. It’s sophisticated and respectful, but demands respect, like royalty. It’s one of those colors that may pleasantly surprise you in a palette when you least expect it.

Brown is grounded. It has a softer form of richness and sophistication that black can’t accomplish. When you’ve found the right brown it will do you justice and serve you well.  Brown can be conservative but don’t mistake that for boring. It’s so versatile, hard working, very stable and VERY sexy. It’s often the necessary foundational element for spicy accent colors. Teamed with the right palette, brown can be very vogue.

White is pure. Some say it’s not a color. True and not true. For today’s purposes, white is a color. The characteristics about white that are important to remember are how it reacts with other colors. White is a little like exciting tofu. Depending on your intentions and the setting it can be very contemporary or come off as very sterile and uninviting. In some instances white represents truth, honesty and clarity. (If you’re in a padded room, not so much.)

Gray is anything but boring. There are hundreds of shades of gray and everyone has a story. Some warm, some cold, some neutral and some peculiar. Gray gives you a place to rest, solid ground to stand on and a quiet space to re-focus or lose yourself in the details. Don’t be afraid to bring gray front and center, it’s not just a canvas for the chameleon. Grays are stable, practical and won’t let you down.

Black is noble. It is the most accepting color because it contains all colors. Black is sophisticated, bold and mysterious. In the many shades of black, drama is never far behind. Black means serious business. It can’t help but make a statement, and is always read loud and clear. Because black is so powerful, you want to be careful it doesn’t weasel its way into your color palette by default. It knows how to shake things up.

There are millions of colors, and each one has a shade, a hue and an intensity that affects the impact and overall intention of the color. Remember, when choosing colors, whether for the interior of your home or for your newly merged company, consider what type of emotions you want to create as well as what part of the country you’re  in – color interpretation is very different from culture to culture.

*Part one highlighted how color affects our brain and our actions.

Pre-step #1. Create the page first, then get everyone on it. Before you decide on your internal communications strategies, first, be clear on what you’re communicating. What is your brand’s DNA? What is your brand promise? Then you’re ready.

1. Start from the top. Support, support, support. The C-suite can’t just be on board, they must be steering the ship. They should be actively supporting your brand efforts and driving employees to participate.
2. Where is point A? Before you can get to point B it’s helpful to know your starting point. Consider an internal communications audit. Even if you feel you have a really good pulse on the internal culture, it never hurts to ask. Surveys are a great place to start. Keep them short, interesting, but serious. Consult experts if you don’t have experience in survey creation and analysis.
3. Build a system of liquid-awareness. Every department of your company should be saturated with the same brand values and priorities. Whether things are changing or it’s more of the same goodness, keep the purpose of your brand front and center at all times, everywhere.
4. Educate everyone. What makes us so special? What are we promising? How should we act?  You may think everyone knows the answers. Don’t think they know – be sure. You don’t just want busy employees. You want motivated employees who take pride in the brand. If employees are clear on what is expected of them they will stay motivated and deliver the brand’s message intact.
5. Connect the dots. Make this an enjoyable topic. Take time to educate all employees so they understand their role in the success of the brand. Consider incorporating brand-related goals and objectives into performance reviews and development systems. Don’t fall into the trap of assigning the “brand police” responsibility to one department or one person. This may foster complacency and can be seen as if brand delivery isn’t important enough for everyone’s focus. Collectively you are all one brand with a consistent message.
6. Hand over the reins and keys. Keep in mind what you want is not to keep ownership of the brand culture you’ve created – it’s to share ownership with everyone, thereby sharing responsibility as well. Consider brand contests, or launch parties, and encourage continuous brand evaluations. Share positive brand stories or customer comments throughout the company.
7. Results are the reward. Celebrate anything and everything that moves the brand forward, and don’t be afraid to connect strong brand results with money. Employees should understand that the more successful the brand the more profits for everyone.

Think of creating internal brand champions as a journey, not a destination. You will pass milestones of success, lots of forks in the road and even some detours. Just keep going!

The University of Alabama fan base is nothing short of a small, third world country, traveling near and far in decorated mobile homes. When ‘Bama came to Duke last year, Duke’s associate director of athletics for external affairs began searching for 300 RV parking accommodations, six months prior to the invasion.

For home games, the gathering of RVs starts on Wednesday night. (Yes, that’s Wednesday before a Saturday game.) The RV community near campus can be comprised of as many as 400 units, packed with alums and non-alums alike. (It doesn’t matter what your diploma says, it’s what courses through your veins. And just FYI: Birth certificates in Alabama have an additional check box for infants: Alabama or Auburn.)

Warren St. John, a writer from Birmingham, set out to find what makes an Alabama fan. He interviewed a group of RV fans who were known for never missing games. He asked if anyone had problems with family members over scheduling. One retired couple slowly answered, “Well, we did miss our daughter’s wedding.” Before St. John could regain his composure, the husband offered, “We tried to tell her not to schedule anything on the third Saturday in October!” (For the less fortunate, the third Saturday in October is reserved for Alabama v. Tennessee.) In what must have been a desperate attempt to gather some small semblance of decorum, they did make it to the reception.

‘Bama fans know what their team stands for. Just ask Coach Bill Curry (from the late ‘80s) who was building a new era with three winning seasons on the books. But the fans, as reported by sports announcers, were ready to run him out of town. So, the university presented him with a contract no one would accept and he went packing to Kentucky. His “crime”? He couldn’t beat Auburn.

When we talk about “transferring ownership of your brand to your customers,” pull out the crimson-colored rouge and let the games begin. Imagine if your brand had the power of ‘Bama fans behind you.

And if you’re wondering what my birth certificate says … Roll Tide.

We live in a society where quick fixes are heralded, listening is a lost art and strategic planning is a luxury. Marketers are caught in a squeeze of expectations and a sea of suggestions. The answer is not another Powerpoint presentation, it’s getting everyone to see the big picture to make smarter decisions. It’s sometimes called a song sheet, but we call it a marketing dashboard.

The sales team has a scorecard that increases by the day. The executives have a board that wants what it wants. And, every time a VP of Marketing turns around the competition is integrating the next “new thing.” We are all under pressure.

Let’s get some control.

The goal of R+M’s Marketing Dashboard is not to be all things to all people, but specifically to support marketing. When an executive suggests cutting the ad spend in the fourth quarter, wouldn’t you love to be able to share the impact that will have on the prospect’s experience with your brand? When a sales colleague wants to add a tradeshow to the mix, wouldn’t you love to be able to educate him or her on alternatives?

Traditionally, marketing plans have focused on tactics and budgets, not necessarily the people with whom we desire a relationship. That means the red pen will take the easiest path of cutting the advertising in this month or cancelling the mailer in the next. But, easy answers often beget hard outcomes.

Look at your marketing plan. What questions do you not want to be asked? Are you prepared to answer them in a way that will preserve your budget, fuel internal collaboration, evolve your brand and create new opportunities for sales? Or, are you at the mercy of seeing programs dismantled and staff demoralized? Are you ready to try a different approach?