Want to feel the love? Create an employee-recognition day
		A Seesmic shift in the Twitter rift
		Restaurant encourages patrons to forage in their own backyards

Lumosity is like having a personal trainer for your mind


Hot trend for retirees: Work-camping


ISM Blog: Massachusetts Turnpike Economic Indicator says “Travel is Back.”

Let’s hear it for the employees! In 2010, The Container Store—with the help of a proclamation from Texas officials—honored its workers by declaring Valentine’s Day (February 14th) “National We Love Our Employees Day!” Nothing says “I appreciate you” like a present. The retailer got its vendors to donate enough swag to fill 4,000 goodie boxes—one for each employee. The Container Store isn’t monopolizing the worker appreciation; it’s encouraging other employers to adopt the day and to create a staff-centric culture throughout the year. ISM believes happy employees make happy customers and a business’ staff has a big effect on the consumer experience, so it’s important to implement creative initiatives to keep employees engaged and motivated. It’s a proactive, yet behind-the-scenes, way to improve customer satisfaction. In this age of social media and the acceleration of word of mouth, there’s little doubt that service is increasingly the new sales. Motivating staff just might be the best investment you can make.

Twitter isn’t for everyone, which is why Seesmic (and Microsoft) recently launched an application that transforms Twitter into an entertainment browser. Click an “interest channel” like sports or politics and voilà: football MVPs or political VIPs emerge. Seesmic users don’t even need a Twitter account—they can view all the happenings of the Twittersphere right on their desktop or mobile device. Brand channels are also part of the Seesmic mix. The Huffington Post and Kodak are just a couple of the companies with their own channels, which include branded designs and selected tweets from other Twitter accounts. Twitter users can send tweets and check replies using Seesmic, but advanced options like juggling multiple Twitter accounts are currently a no-go. ISM believes consumers sometimes are looking for a less interactive experience—yes, we said it! Why tweet about what you had for breakfast, lunch and dinner when you’re only interested in what Brad Pitt had for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Social media applications that streamline the experience and cut out the clutter are a plus. Consumers may not want the whole enchilada, but they’d still like a small bite.

Forage restaurant in Los Angeles asks its neighbors to help them live the locavore dream by contributing fruits and vegetables from their own gardens to the menu. The restaurant encourages locals to bring their produce in on Sunday afternoons after brunch service, when chefs have time to do a tasting and ask about patrons’ growing methods to determine if they can use the fruits and veggies. The restaurant’s website is updated regularly with what they’re looking for, the latest finds and sometimes urgent requests for more. Patrons’ names and contributions are listed on the menu if their produce makes the cut. Why let all that stunning local produce go to waste? Consumers are happy to assist a restaurant trying to cut down on food miles. Urban gardeners take great pride in their hard-earned bounty. The opportunity to have it showcased at a local hot spot gives growers even bigger bragging rights. ISM often finds that densely packed urban environments can lead to a greater sense of isolation, with inhabitants craving community. The more consumers feel connected, the greater their loyalty and likelihood of spending limited recession dollars. In this era of celebrity chefs, the chance to interact with a local star can be deliciously exciting.

Mental workouts are proving essential to a well-balanced, whole-body fitness regimen. Brain games on Lumosity.com offer users a full, free cognitive workout in less than 10 minutes per day. Designed by a team of neuroscience and cognitive psychologists from Stanford and UCSF, users can choose from several courses, comprised of 40 sessions each. Each session is made up of five games. A Basic Training course, for instance, provides a “balanced workout” of games in areas like memory, attention, speed, problem solving, flexibility and concentration. Additional features include an Assessments program which lets users evaluate and monitor their cognitive progress and a personal profile to identify weaknesses and compare scores against others. ISM believes that gone are the days when cognitive exercises were synonymous with students prepping for their standardized tests. Preventative cognitive health has become a top-of-mind priority for consumers at every age, and especially among Boomers who are concerned about future cognitive decline. Time and money: most common reasons for not working out. Now there’s no excuse.

They can be seen more and more at parks and campgrounds all over the U.S.: retirees who’ve set up shop in their RVs and act as hosts for several weeks at a time in exchange for free rent or camping fees. They roll out astroturf, hang lights in the trees, and lead nature walks (NYTimes.com 2.17.10). Estimates suggest that there could be as many as 80,000 so-called work-campers, a number that has risen sharply with the Great Recession as retirees look for cheap ways to travel, camp and socialize. There’s even a sizeable online community of work-campers who trade tips, arrange rendezvous, and Facebook each other as they circulate from one gig to another. With government funds in short supply, many public parks and campgrounds have had to cut staff. They’re all too happy to provide a free pass to work-campers who sometimes put in up to 30 hours per week. ISM finds that jobless and retired isn’t necessarily a bad thing in this economy, but thrifty seniors are finding interesting ways to stretch a buck while maximizing adventure.

Forget what the egghead economists in Washington will tell us six months from now. The recession is over.
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Published monthly by ISM in partnership with Iconoculture.