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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.

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…

2012-2013 gia GLOBAL HONOREES ANNOUNCED!

CHICAGO (March 3, 2013) – The International Home + Housewares Show and the International Housewares Association (IHA), the global sponsors and organizers of the Global Innovation Award (gia) program, today announced the five 2013 gia Global Honorees. The gia Global Honorees are: Linen Chest Canada Quality Living …

Welcome to the 2013 International Home + Housewares Show!

The International Home + Housewares Show is the largest show of its kind. Every March, 2000+ manufactures from all over the globe descend on Chicago to exhibit their new products, as buyers and retailers attend looking for the next hot item to fill the shelves. Here are some facts about the 2013 Show: The 2013 International Home + Housewares Show is expecting more than 60,000…