TAYLOR COMPANY PROFILE
company takes control of its own distribution, not just for the UK, but also for much of the EU, operating out of a brand new facility in Amsterdam. From here, the company’s vice president of sales and marketing, Brian Swerdfeger, says, it will aim to deliver the same ‘Taylor experience’ to retailers and their customers across Europe that has helped make Taylor such a phenomenon in its native USA. Weary cynics that we old worlders tend to
Taylor-made business N
Three years after shifting its European operation to Fender, Taylor Guitars is about to take it all back again. Gary Cooper ponders the reasons behind this sudden change of heart – and finds some sound retailing motivation behind it all…
ew Year’s Day 2011 marks the opening of a new chapter in the history of Taylor Guitars. It’s the day the US
other members of the Taylor team talk about a ‘Taylor experience’, it’s probably wise to pay attention, because what Europe is about to experience could, if all goes according to plan, be a lot more than just the opening of another pan-EU distributor. But before we get to that, it’s inevitable that
be, when a guitar maker starts talking about ‘brand experience’ it’s hard not to tune-out and, frankly, we rarely miss much when we do. But Taylor didn’t rise by accident from its humble origins in 1974 to challenge and then even outperform some of the legendary names in the US acoustic guitar industry. It did it not just by making fine acoustic guitars suited to a new generation of players, but also by making its customers into loyal fans and active cheerleaders. So when Brian Swerdfeger and
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we have to ask about Taylor’s relationship with Fender. When, three years ago, it was announced that Fender would handle UK distribution, sceptical voices predicted the brand would get lost in the clutch of premium acoustic lines they also handled – a scepticism fiercely rejected at the time by both Taylor and Fender.
GOING SOLO
The final decision on how that relationship panned-out is probably going to be have to left to retailers who were on the receiving end of it. All the same, we began by asking Brian Swerdfeger why this change was taking place. “This is the end of a three year agreement with Fender, which means we did what we
Taylor’s electrics are strong performers in the States
needed to do, which was consolidate distribution in Europe and complete the first phase. Fender installed pan-European pricing, so everyone had flat ground to participate on,” Swerdfeger says. “We had a great joint venture with them, but through our work there it became evident that we had completed that phase and it was time to deliver the Taylor experience to the fullest extent – and we needed to do that ourselves. It was the right thing at the time, but in the last three years we’ve matured as a brand, both financially and with brand recognition and brand experience, so it’s now time to take that to the next level and really deliver the things we’re known for in the States.” In practical terms, what does the ‘Taylor
experience’ mean and how will it affect retailers and their customers? “We’re a relationship-oriented, hands-on
brand. We’re known for our unconditional and impeccable customer service, both for retailers and end-users as well as potential buyers. In the States we take 200 phone calls a day and
miPRO DECEMBER 2010 33
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