New “Inspired Home” Initiative Targets Consumers, Aims to Motivate Their Housewares Purchasing Decisions
The International Housewares Association (IHA) announced today that this fall it will launch a new consumer engagement initiative, called Inspired Home, designed to directly market its members’ housewares products to consumers.
Since its beginnings in 1938, IHA has always played a key role as a business‐to‐business organization connecting housewares companies and brands to retailers, primarily through its annual International Home + Housewares Show. While these efforts will continue to be a main focus for the organization, IHA is now embarking on a new strategic direction: connecting its housewares expertise to the ultimate buyers and end users – consumers.
“Our goal is to elevate the housewares industry in the eyes of the consumer to drive product visibility and industry credibility, benefitting both members and retailers,” says Derek Miller, IHA’s vice president, global marketing. “Inspired Home gives us the opportunity to interact and engage directly with consumers all year round, providing resources and inspirational content that will inform their purchasing decisions and ultimately drive housewares sales.”
Representing some of the most well‐known brands in the housewares industry, IHA will be showcasing its members’ products through a variety of marketing and public relations elements including a new website, IHAInspiredhome.org, social media channels, media relations efforts and strategic partnerships.
Content across all of these channels will include:
- Visually compelling lifestyle articles and videos on topics such as cooking & baking, dining & entertaining, home organization, cleaning, personal care & wellness and more
- Photo profiles of the latest products for seasonal or holiday occasions
- Seasonal recipe ideas and inspiration
- Education and guidance on how to make housewares purchasing decisions
- News on global color trends from Pantone
Each exhibiting IHA Member company will also have its own profile page on IHAinspiredhome.org with up to 50 product images for consumers to easily access, along with links to the member’s website and social media platforms. The collection of brands and products will provide consumers with the ability to search for, learn about and, ultimately, purchase housewares products, as directed by the IHA member.
The Inspired Home is scheduled to launch this fall along with corresponding social media channels: Facebook at facebook.com/IHAinspiredhome, Pinterest at pinterest.com/IHAinspiredhome, Instagram at Instagram.com/IHAinspiredhome, Twitter at @IHAInspiredhome and YouTube at youtube.com/IHAinspiredhome.
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About International Housewares Association
The International Housewares Association is the 76‐year‐old voice of the housewares industry, which accounted for (US) $314.3 billion at retail worldwide in 2012. The not‐for‐profit, full‐service association sponsors the world’s premier exposition of products for the home, the International Home + Housewares Show, and offers its 1,700 member companies a wide range of services, including industry and government advocacy, export assistance, State‐of‐the‐Industry reports, point‐of‐sale and consumer panel data through Housewares MarketWatch, executive management peer groups, a unique Web‐based community at www.housewares.org and group buying discounts on business solutions services.
