February 2018
ertonline.co.uk
S
is nearly 130 and kbbreview has been the number one title in the market for 34 years. Likewise Kitchens Bedrooms & Bathrooms for nearly 30. With that kind of pedigree, why would you not make them your own if you had the chance? Especially if they came with the people who had the very knowledge and experience that had made them successful.
tanding in his new offi ce, Taylist Media
owner Patrick Taylor is looking out of the window still trying to decide which is the better view – the sweeping vista up the hill towards the splendour of the famous Harrow school at one end of the room, or the train spotter’s dream of the main railway tracks into Harrow-on-the-Hill tube station at the other “We can safely say we have something for everyone,” he says.
The deliberations over the view are probably
more to do with his reluctance to have his photo taken or be interviewed by one of his own team to mark the 10-year milestone of the company he started. If it helps, it’s equally odd for the person doing the interviewing… However, as self-serving as it seems, Taylist and
ERT play a huge part in the electrical retail industry and, as such, it’s an anniversary that deserves to be marked. Taylist Media publishes ERT, of course, but it’s also the home to the leading consumer title in the kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms sector – conveniently called Kitchens Bedrooms & Bathrooms – and kbbreview, the longest running business magazine in that market.
And in spring of 2017, it bought Studio magazine, the leading professional title for residential interior designers and architects.
The company moved into its new north London
offi ce at the start of November, and it represents a million-pound investment in both the future of the brands it governs and the industries they are a signifi cant part of.
Q: What’s your view of the state of the independent electrical retail sector? PT: We’ve made no bones about the fact that it’s clearly really tough. The way the consumer buys these products has changed radically and, frankly, the retail sector has struggled to keep up. The USPs of the independent retailer – great service, great knowledge and great products – have never been more important as far as the consumer is concerned, but en masse retailers aren’t not capitalising on it as much as they should. We launched our ‘Turning Point’ campaign last year to tackle that very issue, and ERT’s position in that market means we have an incredibly important part to play in facilitating the changes that need to happen.
Q: What kind of response has Turning Point had from the industry? PT: What surprised me is how instantly the supply side of the sector grasped the concept. They could instantly see what we were trying to do and wanted to know more. The take-up wasn’t quite as enthusiastic from the retailers, but if it were easy, it would’ve happened a long time ago. What we need to do now is increase that momentum to engage more retailers and – let’s be frank – convert more of that interest from suppliers into a commercial arrangement with ERT to secure its future.
Q: Is it strange being on the receiving end of a ERT interview? Patrick Taylor: Yes, especially as you’ve told me I’m not allowed to read it before it gets printed!
Q: Taylist was started 10 years ago, how did it come about? PT: I was the group publishing director at DMG World Media, based over the road here in Harrow. It was the exhibitions company that, at the time, ran the Ideal Home Show among others, but I headed up the UK publishing arm. The company was part of the Daily Mail Group, but it was actually based in the US and had the majority of its business out there, so when it decided to pull out of the UK, it presented me with a fantastic opportunity.
Q: The brands themselves had a hugely valuable heritage… PT: Exactly, Taylist Media is 10 years old but ERT
Q: What was the thinking behind bringing Studio into the Taylist portfolio? PT: The media business is very simple really. We create great content that provides the most relevant and engaged audiences to companies and brands that want to get their messages out. For our commercial partners, we have the number-one media brand for KBB and electrical retailers and the number-one for KBB consumers, but there was a clear gap for giving them an opportunity to talk to the professional design community. Kate Burnett, who is a hugely respected interiors journalist, founded Studio and when she was looking for a publishing partner to help grow the title it was an obvious fit. It’s such a huge opportunity for us, but also for the KBB and electrical industries to talk to that community directly.
Q: Is print dead? PT: Ha! That old chestnut. No, of course it isn’t, but what it’s become is one of several options readers can choose when they want to access the content they enjoy. Nobody consumes media in one way anymore, they have several, depending on where they are or what they’re doing and that
actually means we have more opportunities to engage with them throughout the day. Print still dominates, but digital, social media and live events are an increasingly important part of the mix and we’re growing that side of Taylist massively. The truth is that as long as the content is highly valuable, and relevant, then the audience will follow.
Q: So content is king? PT: Always, that hasn’t changed. We always put the reader first; we always produce the content we know they want to read. We know that isn’t always what the advertisers want to see, but ultimately great content delivers relevant, engaged audiences and that’s really what they want. The medium through which it’s delivered, whether it’s print or digital, isn’t really the important bit.
Q: What’s coming up for the rest of 2018? PT: As far as ERT is concerned, it’s all about Turning Point. We’re making it part of everything we do in 2018, as we’re totally convinced it’s the only way forward for the electrical retail industry and ERT. Company-wide, the big focus for us for the rest of the year is growing the digital side of the business in a way that keeps to the principles of putting the reader first.
CURRICULUM VITAE ● 1986 – 1990
Newcastle Chronicle and Journal Field sales manager
● 1990
Metro Radio Group Field sales manager
● 1990-1995 Thomson Media Sales – group head
● 1995-1998 National Magazine Company Regional sales director
● 1998-1999 EMAP On Air – director
● 2000-2001 Firstream – UK managing director
● 2001-2004 Property developer
● 2000-2006 Trinity Mirror
Commercial director – sports division
● 2006-2008 DMG World Media Group publishing director
● 2008 – Present Managing director – Taylist Media
11
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
