COMPANY PROFILE TAYLOR
The logo doesn’t lie: Taylor has for some time been considered one of the most desirable acoustic brands
years ago the acoustic trinity was complete – there was Martin, Gibson and Guild, and then two young guys from California wanted to be in the acoustic guitar business, but everybody said to them there’s nothing wrong with this guitar, but it doesn’t say Martin or Gibson on the headstock. Yet they were undeterred and they continued to press forward and now we’re the market leader in dollar share in the States. “In the electric guitar market, it’s always been the plan that ‘in ten years we’ll be glad that we did it,’ which means in our minds, at the factory that makes them, we had no illusions that they were going to change the world, sell tens of thousands of units and become an instant competitor to PRS, Gibson or Fender. The thought was that it was going to start small and then we’d innovate our way into this market. It’s going to take a while for the market and the players to discover and embrace it and become part of the romance that is guitars.
A MAJOR PLAYER “January will be the third birthday of the solid body and in the States, in dollar volume, our electric guitar sales make us number ten in brand size. Now the way that’s measured in the States, that includes the T3s, the T5s and the solid bodies, so when you look at all that as electric guitars, our sales are bigger than G&L, Musicman or Rickenbacker – names that have long traditions in our industry. So I kind of have a smile when someone says it hasn’t gone as well, because that means to me we’re off the radar, growing as we need to. With the addition of the double cutaway and continuing to refine our options, we’re on the right path.” Back home in the United States, Swerdfeger
when you call Taylor, the phone is always answered by a real person and if we can’t help immediately, we’ll look into it and call you back. So when we talk about brand experience, that’s what we’re working hardest on – getting that level of support for retailers and end-users. We do it naturally, so it’s not a chore.” Translating what works in the USA to any single country in Europe can be difficult enough, but isn’t it asking a lot to tackle it across so many different countries in Europe?
“ 34 miPRO
It’s time to take it to the next level and deliver the things we’re known
for in the States. Brian Swerdfeger Taylor
“It’s a case of getting the right people. Because of our extensive travelling in Europe over the last seven or eight years, in the UK especially, we’ve already identified the friends of Taylor – we know where the good guys are and now we have the opportunity to say to them ‘hey, do you want to be part of the family?’ Since they know us so well, they know the level of expectation of the brand experience. In the US, that means, for example, we do 200 in-store events a year, we do 16 consumer festivals, guitar shows, dealer shows
DECEMBER 2010
and other events. It’s all hands-on, where people can really interact with the brand and I’m really looking forward to delivering that from the new headquarters in Amsterdam. “We’ll see more factory people on the road doing in-store events in the UK and Europe and more contact with Taylor direct.” Which raises the question of the products themselves. What will be appearing to whet the appetites of customers here? “Well, this is Taylor, so there are
always new things happening and we’re currently in meetings finalising our programme for 2011, but I can tell you there will be a double cutaway electric guitar – a new body shape.” Taylor’s electric guitars are a complicated issue. The company launched into this market just three years ago and, rightly or wrongly, there are those who believe it was a move too far – a view far from universally shared, let it be said. Indeed, when we suggested to Swerdfeger that Taylor’s electrics perhaps hadn’t made the impact they might have hoped for – particularly in the UK – he was quick to respond. “Here’s an interesting perspective on that. 36
says, Taylor has put a great deal of effort into working closely with its independent retailers and that as a result – the economy notwithstanding – business has been good. Very good, actually.
“Our independent channel is having a record year – beyond a record year, in fact. We’re going to be up 30 per cent, meaning Taylor has record revenue and profits – and that’s really thanks to our independent music retailers.” Swerdfeger goes on to give some fascinating insights into the way Taylor views guitar retailing – so fascinating that we will be returning to them soon, not least because the company’s aim is to replicate its extraordinary success against all the macro economic odds over here, too. It will do so by working in the same
way with retailers to inculcate that Taylor buzz, which is so noticeable in the US market. Taylor’s arrival in the UK, finally on its own terms, promises to be a significant event. If the company gets it right, the quality guitar market is about to receive an adrenaline shot of high enthusiasm and ‘can-do’ thinking. Game changing? That’s certainly the plan – and this is coming from a company with a track record for doing just that.
WW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
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