• The Early Bird Gets the Discount

    July 08, 2015

    • by IHAF Staff

    It’s the most wonderful time of the year…at IHAF, anyway! That’s because we’re in the midst of planning our biggest event of the year—the IHAF Annual Conference & AwardsShow. The IHAF program team is hard at work lining up the best speakers, the best breakout sessions, and most opportunities to …

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  • Stimulating Creativity

    July 06, 2015

    I was approached to write this blog on stimulating creativity from the point of view of an external agency creative director “out in the field.” Like anyone else confronted with this sort of challenge, I immediately Googled “stimulating creativity.” That brought up a treasure-trove of writing on …

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  • Last Month at IHAF

    July 06, 2015

    Happy Independence Day! This time of year recalls festivities of all kinds, from backyard barbeques to reveling in red, white and blue. At IHAF, we’re celebrating by welcoming a host of new members including American Express, First Republic Bank, American Chemical Society, and The Scotts Miracle- …

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  • Creativity Born Out of Structure

    June 29, 2015

    Yes, you read the title right. The all-important and often overlooked way to stimulate creativity is through structure.

    Technology, process, organizational design, and purposeful management trump latte machines, foosball tournaments and in-house yoga classes when it comes to encouraging innovation. …

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  • Idea-Generating Techniques for the Desperate

    June 22, 2015

    Here’s a general rule of thumb regarding idea-generation techniques: they’re clunky, dorky and time-consuming. Oh, and they don’t work. You reluctantly resort to one when you're under the gun for an idea, then end up wasting valuable time that leaves you even more frustrated and desperate and …

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  • The Crystal-Clear Winner

    June 15, 2015

    • by Emily Foster, IHAF

    Each year, numerous winners leave the IHAF Awards Show with accolades in hand. Only one team, however, walks away with the coveted, crystal Best of Show trophy—the clear stand-out among all of the work submitted that year.

    The Best of Show winner is chosen at the end of a day-long process where …

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  • Building a Creative Environment

    June 08, 2015

    When I was in third grade, my mom and I ran into my teacher (a grim, severe drill sergeant) in the cereal aisle of the grocery store. I still remember how long it took my brain to recognize Mrs. Strictman. Her face was familiar, but foreign in that environment.

    The grocery store was all joy and …

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  • Real Patients. Real Stories. Real Collaboration.

    June 01, 2015

    Telling your company’s brand story can sometimes seem like a life-or-death proposition. For Baylor Scott & White Health, one of the largest not-for-profit health care systems in the country, their brand IS life or death. And they've spent years perfecting the process of storytelling...navigating …

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  • Collaboration Inside & Out

    May 26, 2015

    If orange is the new black, collaboration is the new integration.

    Remember when agency integration was all the rage? Just a few years back, clients and agencies focused heavily on the importance of strategically communicating across multiple channels. While still important, integration has been …

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  • (25 Ways to) Love the One You’re With

    May 18, 2015

    • by IHAF Staff

    When 1970’s folk rocker Stephen Stills released his break-away hit single Love the One You’re With, we’re pretty sure he wasn’t talking about internal/external agency collaboration. Regardless, Stills’ lyrics are prolific calling us to live in harmony with one another, “If you can't be with the one …

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