You may recall that AT&T was named 2017 In-House Agency of the Year at the IHAF Conference & Awards Show in the fall. We had the pleasure of catching up with Roger Hyde recently, AT&T’s SVP of Creative Services, to find out how the win impacted his 150-person team and what advice he might have for others who are considering entering the competition in 2018.

IHAF: What was the reaction around the office when people first learned of the win?

RH: When the team heard about the win, there was total elation and jubilation. The response and reaction far exceeded that of any other accolade we’ve garnered, including the 200 industry awards our team has won over the past 15 years. It was a tremendous boost to department morale, especially in the wake of cutbacks and other operational challenges. We were also showered with congratulations and appreciation by our clients. Being named In-House Agency of the year was far and away the most poignant and timely validation of the value of this team and our service to the corporation.

IHAF: How did you spread word of the win across AT&T?

RH: We used a variety of internal resources to telegraph the win including the company intranet, an internal video news service, digital billboards and a company version of MySpace. We tapped into a variety of external platforms too, like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, which were all shared and liked by team members—creating a far larger audience than just company employees. We also sent a holiday greeting card to our client base wishing them well from the In-House Agency of the Year. And we created a logo lock-up for our group with IHAF’s agency-of-the-year icon which is accompanying all of our presentations in 2018. Lastly, I was asked to produce a “value study” presentation for our company president, which included the recent IHAF win in an integral way.

IHAF: What advice would you give other teams that may be thinking of entering in 2018?

RH: Be sure to enter the most dramatic, influential and courageous campaign your team has worked on in order for it to be evaluated and considered alongside other entrants. We have entered this competition every year since joining IHAF in 2015, and this was the first time we prevailed in our efforts.

Thank you, Roger, and congratulations, once again, to team AT&T. IHAF’s In-House Agency of the Year Award recognizes internal advertising and corporate creative organizations for notable achievements in areas such as business impact, client partnership, internal/external collaboration and more. Our call for nominations opens in the late spring. Visit our award site for more on past winners and entry details.