Top 4 Brainstorming Pitfalls and How to Tackle Them

HCB  |  February 6, 2019

I used to react to an invitation to a brainstorm like an invitation to a party. Yes, of course I’ll take a break from my real projects and go play with my creative teammates for an hour. Over time, though, I learned that not all brainstorms are created equal. Some are unfocused and confusing, some are stifled and boring. Some are downright aggravating. Here is my list of the most common brainstorming pitfalls and ways to overcome them.   PITFALL 1: Disorganized conversations that don’t generate usable ideas. Solution: Plan ahead with two bad-ass documents: a brief and an agenda. Your brief should lay out the background, context and ...

Six Tips for Improving Your Localization Strategy in a Global Market

Kim Carpenter  |  November 15, 2018

The digital revolution has expanded our customer markets from local programs to global proportions. We now have access to a much broader target that’s easily reached via social or mobile around the world. However, today’s marketers should not make the mistake of assuming that a “smaller world” means a smaller message. While targets can be reached more efficiently, we must still apply the same discipline of crafting the right story for the right audience. Take the time to consider each and every audience and …

An Oreo, a Deviled Egg and a Bloody Suit Walk Into an Office …

Amber Fletcher  |  November 1, 2018

Hi guys! It’s me, your friendly HCB culture blogger! I’m back to talk to you about my all-time, hands-down, most-favorite holiday ever — Halloween. I LOVE Halloween. I mean, who doesn’t? You get to spend a whole month watching scary movies and then top it off by dressing up like a hotdog and then binge eating candy …

Treating Patients and Judging Award Shows – Not so Different

Amy Hansen  |  October 26, 2018

When I was at the Cannes Lions Health & Wellness International Festival of Creativity two summers ago, I attended a session aptly called “How to Win a Lion.” It was there that I realized that award show judges are a lot like doctors. According to a survey by Statista, doctors on average see about 20 patients a day. That’s thousands of patients a year, each with multiple symptoms, a unique medical history and their own set of concerns. Though they may have a common condition that they share with millions of others, each patient wants to be seen and treated as the individual that they are. Similarly, a judge who’s …

Listen First, Ask Questions Second- Life Lessons From Journalism School

Taylor Watson  |  October 16, 2018

“Journalism is dying.” “Better to major in business.” “It’s not like you can get a job at a newspaper anymore.” “Good luck with that.” Just a handful of the encouraging things I heard from peers, parents and even strangers as I declared my major in journalism at a state school in 2012. I understood their opinions; journalism was, and still is, an evolving industry. But instead of listening to them, I stuck with my gut and thank God for that. I went into my first few classes with some background knowledge — I was the editor of my high school newspaper and even placed third in the state for Feature Writing at an annual state sponsored competition. But I quickly learned I was not “all that” and had to put some real effort into my studies and writing. As I finished up my …

How to Make a Cross-Cultural Global Team Succeed? Communication.

Kathie Jones  |  October 9, 2018

Before I came to work as the CFO of HCB Health, I was the Global Controller of a very large design firm. My finance team was in the U.S., EMEA and APAC, and we shared treasury and tax with our holding company in India. I learned that working with a global team presents many challenges that managers often overlook, and, if ignored, they can slowly degrade the overall team dynamics. It seems obvious that regular and frequent communication is the key to success. Duh? Sounds so easy. However, it’s not so easy when you are speaking to team members for whom English is not their first language. While numbers are the universal language, …

Curiosity Didn’t Kill the Cat. It Was Ignorance. (Curiosity Was Framed.)

Kerry Hilton  |  October 4, 2018

The world’s greatest inventions, discoveries, innovations, products, services and companies all have one thing in common. They all blossomed from the seed of curiosity. When curiosity is nurtured and pursued, anything can come from it. But it can’t be passive or accidental. It must be as natural and active as our beating heart in order to see its fruits. At HCB, we’ve made it one of our core values because we believe curiosity is how we got here. It’s why our clients have stuck with us for so long. And it’s what keeps us growing in new and vibrant directions. Let me be clear that the act of questioning, prodding, wondering and seeking can be a messy one. Curiosity is the …

Yes, My Degree in Bass Performance Really Does Apply to My Job in Advertising

Brett Bakshis  |  September 21, 2018

And a one … and a two … and a one, two, three, go! I guess by now I shouldn’t be surprised at how many musicians there are in advertising — hell, I’m one of them. Everywhere I’ve worked, there have been guitarists, drummers, singers, pianists … and, perhaps most importantly, bassists. (Can you guess what I play?) My degree is in Popular Music Performance. It’s an unusual degree, I’ll grant you, and it never fails to come up in job interviews. So, after 11 years as a writer, I’ve had a lot of time to think about how experience in music relates to what goes on at an agency. And the more I …

Can Company Culture Transcend State Lines?

Anastasia Belchenko  |  September 17, 2018

My name’s Anastasia. I’m a project manager in our Chicago office. Yup, that’s right, HCB occupies several locations in the states and I’m part of the Windy City Crew. That’s probably got you wondering … If these guys work in different states, can their culture of listening (and being work besties) transcend state lines? YOU BET. I’ve worked at HCB for almost four years and have gotten to know many Austin colleagues as well as if we were cube neighbors, which has taught me that nothing can stop you from forging friendships when you have modern technology at your fingertips. How do long-distance friendships like this grow? Great question. Because, trust me, we know that, without face-to-face contact, making a bond can be tough. Well, I’ve noticed that it’s like having pen pals that you have to bug about work stuff all the time. A few questions about …

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