• Managing Clients with a Creative Spark

    May 12, 2014

    I often hear that in-house client relationships can be like walking a fine line of diplomacy, where negotiation can determine the creative direction. Well, I think it’s the creative process that can determine the direction of the relationship.

    The Creative Advantage. Having world-class creative …

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  • Hey Clients, Don’t Drink and Draw

    April 28, 2014

    At the ripe old age of 24, I was given the unique opportunity to design a complete corporate identity for a commercial real estate development that was to be erected on the South Shore of Massachusetts, a region that runs south of Boston along the shoreline of the Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bays. I …

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  • Seizing Opportunities for Improvement

    February 24, 2014

    Seven months ago, I was given the opportunity to lead the Corporate Marketing team at Nationwide. Prior to this, I served as CMO of our Property & Casualty business unit and most recently, led of our Financial Services marketing team.

    Now that I’m on the “other side of the desk,” there are …

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  • Meet Two New Board Members

    February 17, 2014

    This month, IHAF is exploring the topic of Operational Excellence and what it means to in-house agencies. As part of this series, I asked the two newest members of IHAF’s Board of Directors, Mark Gibson, Assistant VP of Creative Services at State Farm and Wayne Barringer, Director of Creative …

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  • Learning Vital Lessons from In House

    October 21, 2013

    • by Steve Whiteside, Warc

    Having been fortunate enough to attend the IHAF’s In-House Agency Masters conference in Boston on 17 October, I wanted to share a handful of the main takeaways, focusing in particular on what ad agencies could learn from their (often less-heralded) counterparts in this space.

    Mick O’Brien from …

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  • Meet the Sponsors

    October 16, 2013

    • by IHAF Staff

    Our largest event of the year is on deck—the IHAF Awards Show & Annual Conference. For months we’ve been planning this two-day gala, from defining the theme and outlining the agenda to directing the details and prepping the presenters. As today drew near, our pace grew more frenetic—though in just …

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  • An Outside Perspective on an In-House Partner

    October 14, 2013

    Great relationships are based on trust, and working as part of a team is no different. It takes serious foundational effort to build trust in a group setting—and it doesn’t happen overnight. But it’s necessary before any meaningful exchange of ideas or collaboration is possible. It’s one thing to …

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  • What Makes a Master?

    October 11, 2013

    Next week, IHAF is holding its eighth annual conference entitled, In-House Agency Masters. Now, I’ve heard of master carpenters, master musicians, even sushi masters—but this is the first time I’ve heard the designation used to describe an in-house agency. And you know what? I like it.

    Mastery is …

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  • How to Build Lasting Partnerships

    October 07, 2013

    When I began my career some time ago, as an eager “go get ‘em” account guy in the world of NYC advertising agencies, building a partnership with my client was the last thing on my mind. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to be liked, but describing my interactions with clients as “partnership”? Not so …

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  • Partnership Principles

    September 30, 2013

    Partner has become quite a buzz word in the ad business. The big news last week was that Twitter added CBS and the NFL to its “stable of advertising partners.” The 10th annual Advertising Week conference also took place last week in NYC, with a featured session on client/agency creative partners. …

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