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IHA’s blog features informative posts written to keep the housewares industry educated and informed about key strategic issues and IHA member services.

gia Global Honorees: Italy’s Quality Living

By Piritta Törrö, International Marketing & Business Development Combining housewares and homes doesn’t sound like anything groundbreaking at first. But two Italian men from the world of property development are redefining the essence of home buying and its link to housewares retail. And doing this, they won one of the five gia Global Honoree awards this year. Michelle…

Inspiring the Industry

Michelle Hespe chats with Wolfgang Gruschwitz about how and where he finds inspiration in the world around us. Wolfgang Gruschwitz is the owner and managing director of the Gruschwitz Corporation, which offers full-service retail store design and visual merchandising expertise to retailers. His company has high profile clients such as ZARA and Burberry, and he also lectures…

Using Online Marketing to Build Branding, Part 2: Display Your Brand’s Personality on Social Media

By Larry Stopa, President of E-Power Marketing Social Media provides a powerful means to interact with your target audience. Listen to what is being said about your brand in social chatter. Is that the perception you want? If not, Social Media offer channels to change audience perception. When posting on Social Media sites, don’t limit your communications to your brand. Expand…

Using Online Marketing to Build Branding Part 1: A Strong Website Sets the Foundation for Success

By Larry Stopa, President of E-Power Marketing The International Housewares Association is committed to helping members succeed in the digital marketplace. The Blog posts in the Digital Education Series are designed to help IHA members take advantage of the marketing opportunities that the Internet offers. Larry Stopa, President of E-Power Marketing, opens the series with the…

Staying Relevant

Pauline Herbst speaks to IHA’s lifestyle trend forecaster Tom Mirabile, Senior Vice President of Global Trend & Design, Lifetime Brands, Inc., about top consumer trends for 2013-2014 and what manufacturers and retailers alike must do to stay relevant. Mirabile says, “The big message is that sometimes we lose perspective on who the consumer really is and what is important…

Pantone Style and Substance

2014 Pantone Palettes Introducing the 2014 Pantone color palettes at the International Home + Housewares Show, Leatrice Eiseman, Pantone Color Institute’s Executive Director, explained that although there are a lot of new trends in the 2014 Pantone palettes, there are also some familiar themes recurring. For example, consumers have an attachment to the “preppy” type of vintage…

Falling in Love With Life

I photograph design specialist Asko Ahokas standing in front of a giant projected pipe. The picture references Hitchcock, with Ahokas’ tall hound’s-tooth suited form silhouetted onscreen. The wooden pipe in the background is unsmokable, its bowl non-existent. These are all fitting elements for a presentation entitled “Romantic and Practical” although its working title of…

Introducing…Asko Ahokas

Asko Ahokas is a trend analyst from Finland who has led a New York-based agency and consulting firm for 17 years. He is one of our ongoing columnists, helping to ensure that you’re on the right wave, at the right time. It’s been a steady climb for Asko Ahokas to reach a point where he is analyzing and advising the retail world and beyond about trends from his New York-based…

Inside Discover Design: Joseph Joseph

Twin brothers Richard and Antony Joseph founded Joseph Joseph in 2003, combining their experience in product design and business. Specializing in contemporary kitchenware, Joseph Joseph is now internationally recognized for producing some of the most stylish and innovative products available. Their unique ability to match form and function has earned them global recognition for…