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CELEBRATING 30 YEARS Special Advertising Section Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal March 17-23, 2014 TaylorStrategy.comMARCH 17-23, 2014 SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION ❘ street & smith’s sporTSBUSINESS JOURNAL 1A1A CELEBRATING 30 YEARS YOUR GOOD WORK MAKES THE WORLD A better place. Allstate congratulates our partner Taylor on 30 years of excellence. © 2014 Allstate Insurance Co. 2A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION ❘ street & smith’s sporTSBUSINESS JOURNAL MARCH 17-23, 2014 CELEBRATING 30 YEARS Signore’s Vision for Taylor: “Irreplaceable Value” Tony Signore joined Taylor in January and around the world.” 1989 and immediately became immersed Another key to Taylor’s success, accord- in a host of international initiatives, specifi- ing to Signore, was the agency’s deep cally the development and implementa- appreciation, understanding and respect tion of sports public relations campaigns on for cultural diversity, which played a vital behalf of brands such as MasterCard and role from the very beginning of his work Gillette. In fact, over a 12-year period overseas, right through today with Taylor’s through the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan global social influencer campaigns. “We and Korea — when Taylor represented four recognize the importance of conducting of FIFA’s 12 official global sponsors — in-depth consumer research to uncover all Signore had taken Taylor to worldwide rec- the cultural nuances of a specific demo- ognition through numerous award-winning graphic. In the late 80’s, for example, most programs he personally implemented on practitioners, including Taylor, viewed the the ground in 57 countries spanning every U.S. Hispanic market far too broadly and continent. there’s no question our campaign results “Twenty-five years ago, the public rela- Y back then fell short of the mark. But we PH tions discipline was viewed quite differently GRA learned by having our people immersed in O outside of the U.S. region,” said Signore, the T every major Hispanic market nationwide, HO native New Yorker who in 2004 was named V P and we quickly discerned the cultural differ- O Chief Executive Officer and Managing Part- ences and actionable insights that should ner at Taylor, which is celebrating its 30th AEL HNAT be factored into our thought process. In our H anniversary. “In Western Europe, for exam- MIC own way, being on the ground in those ple, the use of our discipline to leverage From Taylor’s NYC headquarters at the Empire State Building, Tony Signore reflects upon the global sports early years was the very best primary regional and global sports properties was public relations landscape he has helped shape over the past quarter century. research we could have ever done and we certainly more advanced than Latin Amer- have drawn from that experience. ica and Asia, but the U.S. market was more Signore added that “the depth of knowl- “I strongly believe this influenced Taylor’s mature and receptive to fully-integrated edge and relationships Taylor maintains with decision to make a steadfast commitment campaigns. In those days, I spent most of properties like NASCAR, FIFA, NFL and MLB is to brand planning, another area where Tay- my time in Europe and I didn’t recognize a a key reason why Taylor has been so suc- lor paved the way for the public relations shift toward more innovative work until the cessful in sports over the years.” discipline. When we began studying the mid-90’s. And in the Middle East and Africa, “We have been collaborating with all of impact of brand planning a decade ago from ’89 to ’96, I can guarantee you from the major sports properties for 30 years,” he and commenced with the infusion of con- first-hand experience on-site in Saudi Ara- continued. “Think about that: 30 years col- sumer insight specialists and brand plan- bia, Tunisia, Egypt, UAE and South Africa, laborating with a property like Major ners into the public relations culture, most that there were no other public relations League Baseball. That’s a long, winding PR firms were hesitant to make such a signif- agencies generating brand awareness road we’ve travelled together, complete icant investment.” through sports — we were the first.” with so many brand and consumer experi- By the end of the decade, given the Two decades ago, Taylor had one spe- ences around their jewel events. It has impact of its evolved strategic perfor- cific goal for its clients, many of which were placed us in a strong position to leverage mance, Taylor was named “Consumer brands like MasterCard, Gillette, adidas, the Signore presents the inaugural Smirnoff Cup to our client partners’ investments through the Agency of the Decade” by The Holmes U.S. Postal Service, Clairol and Evian, who the 1991 Champions of the Gold Coast Hispanic development of campaigns that truly reso- Group, one of the most influential news Soccer League in Miami. were playing in the domestic and global nate.” organizations covering the public relations sports space: to achieve awareness by select roster of just 15 category-leading Indeed, Taylor has helped to shape the discipline. amplifying the presence of their brand consumer brands. sports public relations landscape the past “When Paul Holmes came to our office through the available channels, namely To achieve this ambitious goal, Signore 30 years. From its birth in 1984, the agency four years ago to announce this honor, I’ll newspapers, radio and television. In the spent several years recruiting a host of spe- has been on the ground at every Summer never forget what he said to our team of ensuing decades, however, the winds of cialists from the leading advertising agen- and Winter Olympics since the Los Angeles 100 professionals who demonstrated a will- creative change began to blow with the cies, as well as global consulting firms like Games, and has worked alongside the ingness and commitment to change,” emergence of social media and mobile McKinsey and Booz Allen. Today, Taylor is a most innovative and influential brand mar- Signore recalled. “Holmes commented that technologies. Where creating brand aware- much more diversified group. The passion keters to create programs in support of two ‘Taylor looks a lot like the agency of the ness was once a top priority, the stakes and for sports is still ingrained in its DNA, but the dozen Super Bowls, World Series, Major future, operating as a true partner to pro- expectations were growing higher with experience and skill set of the agency’s pro- League Baseball All-Star Games, and U.S. vide strategic brand counsel to only a each opportunity. From the moment he fessionals range from public relations Open Tennis championships. The résumé select group of clients.’ and his partners took over the day-to-day account leads and consumer insight spe- also includes more than 15 Daytona 500’s “I guess that best sums up who we are operation of Taylor in 2004, Signore began cialists, to brand planners, business analysts and NBA All-Star Games. Additionally, there and what Taylor delivers today, versus what to re-tool the vision for the agency. and digital strategists, all combining to serve have been hundreds of other regional and we were able to accomplish 25-30 years “In the early 2000’s, our agency was not in the vital role of brand counselor to the global events, from the NHL to PGA Tour to ago.” prepared to measure the success of our PR company’s elite portfolio of client partners. Major League Soccer to pro beach volley- campaigns against the business building With its new game plan in motion, the ball to cricket and Formula One. objectives of our client partners. The strat- once-modest Taylor was now at the fore- And of course, there are those six con- egy and metrics were not in place,” Signore front of a creative transformation that would secutive FIFA World Cup Championships said. “We realized that to better understand lead the firm to partnerships with the world’s and numerous UEFA, CONMEBOL and CAF the brands and their respective target audi- leading consumer brands, including current soccer championships which took Signore ences, and in order to align more closely client partners Diageo, Procter & Gamble, and his colleagues around the globe, a with our client partners business goals, we Allstate, Capital One, NASCAR, Nestle, Kraft, time in his life which he cherishes, and needed to infuse the intellectual capital 3M, Starwood, General Mills, Nike and Taco which he credits as having lifted Taylor into from other marketing disciplines. Bell. The company now has a staff of 110 its current status as a preeminent brand “But this was a very challenging transfor- and has grown its New York base with counselor and public relations firm, in not mation process. To become a leader in the offices in Charlotte, Chicago and Los Ange- just sports, but the entertainment and con- industry, we had to create a higher value les. sumer lifestyle sectors as well. proposition for our client partners well “We have become strategic brand “To have a ringside seat and watch all beyond just media relations and sports counselors positioned to utilize our very of this unfold before my eyes, and to see expertise — because if that’s all you’re deep knowledge and understanding of the this global movement take place where bringing to the party, then you’re not deliv- consumer mindset — whether they’re foot- other public relations agencies have also ering ‘irreplaceable value.’ ” ball, baseball, soccer or NASCAR fans — found their way over the last decade, well, Taylor, which had up to 77 clients in and apply that to our campaign develop- I’d like to think that Taylor was the pioneer 2004, began to transition away from many ment,” Signore said.