Taylor West

It is with great sadness that Taylor West announces the passing of our dear colleague, Pat Bruni on Wednesday, August 25, 2010.

She had been battling her illness courageously for over a year.  To honor her and help the family defray the major medical expenses she had incurred, an account has been established in her name at IBC Bank.

The account number is 2411567677.  The family is most thankful for any contribution.

Taylor West has recently completed new television work for Stowers Furniture.  

The spots are currently airing in market.

Thanks to JEH Productions and Groom Githens for their help in getting these to air.  More work to come from the store as we support their annual Warehouse Sale.

Jeff recently spent three days at this year’s SXSWi conference in Austin, TX. CNN affectionately termed the event to be “Spring Break for Nerds” and as the resident technophile at Taylor West he felt the need to attend this year.

There was a lot to chew on, from panels and sessions to the vast amount of exhibitors in the Trade Show halls.  Below is his attempt to amalgamate some thoughts and notes taken from the sessions:

More notes from SOME of the sessions attended are available at http://jreckseidler.posterous.com or by email via interactive@taylorwest.com

Taylor West is proud to announce a new and exciting division into the family. 

The firm is Connectivity

Understanding today’s marketplace and what customers want to buy is the key to success or failure.  Connectivity helps entrepreneurs and business owners maximize the value and return on their ideas and assets by connecting the idea and the consumer in the most streamlined way available.  Using advanced analytics and a team of experienced business owners' input and knowledge, Connectivity helps an idea stand out and succeed in a very competitive business environment.

For more on the firm click here.

He's been unleashed!

The IBC Free Bee that is, who has recently been spotted in Austin and conversing with his many adoring fans in Laredo as he embarks on a Freedom Tour this spring! For more details on dates, locations and activities head to:

https://www.ibc.com/en-us/FreeBeeZone/Pages/FreeBeeTour.aspx

Creative

(Print , Outdoor, Radio, Web Site Design & Development, E-mail and Beyond)

The creative capability at Taylor West is, well, evolved. We’ve brought an agnostic, design influenced approach to our creative group which allows us to develop ideas that create impact through the multichannel universe we all navigate

Media and Communications Planning

(Strategy, Research, Media Planning / Buying, Contingency / Optimization, Search Engine Marketing, Digital Advertising)

Looking to understand your intended audience? What makes them tick? How to reach them effectively? Harness the power of emerging communications channels? We can do that.

Public Relations

(Crisis Communications, Media Training, Earned Media Development / Tracking)

As social media and online changes the way people get information, it now more important than ever to craft, position and disseminate timely and accurate information to the right channels.  PR is changing too – and we’re on top of it to ensure your firm is using the necessary tools and creating the right connections to help your efforts flourish.

Brand Consulting

(Identity, Strategy, Architecture, Brand Management)

Building a brand is like making a promise. Follow through and reap the rewards. Our brand strategy group has some serious pedigree within the worlds’ best branding consultancy.  And learned a thing or two while they were there.

Interactive

(Social Media, Strategy, Channel Planning, Digital Brand Management, CRM, Email Deployment / Management)

Interactive marketing has grown up.  Rooted in direct response principles, our interactive solutions drive results.  It’s a big Internet, social media focused world out there, and we have the keys to the highway.

Consumer Analytics 

(Digital Reporting And Management,  Trend Analysis, Acquisition / Conversion Analysis, Data Analysis / Segmentation, Email Reporting) 

There is a lot of data being generated.  What is it telling you?  Data is the missing link for marketers, and we use it to guide our decisions before, during and after our engagements to ensure all efforts are maximized in the marketplace.

Bill West | President & CEO

Following a three-month stint at a Dallas ad agency, Bill was confident that he had learned enough and decided to start his own agency. He teamed with his long-time hippie friend to create West-Witherspoon. With the $5,000 that Bill and 'Spoon' borrowed to start the business, they bought a sailboat and floated on Canyon Lake for two weeks. When they tired of floating and 'planning,' they split the remaining $1,500 and lived off of it as long as they could. When funds ran out, they realized they had to get serious and actually find clients. A trip to the Rio Grande Valley yielded their first client. 

That was over 32 years ago and since then Bill has been a successful San Antonio business owner and entrepreneur. He provides clients a depth of business insight rarely offered by an advertising agency with a solid combination of financial, management, marketing and strategic business development skills. 

Currently, Bill serves on the board of the Texas State History Museum Foundation in Austin, Texas and the San Antonio River Foundation Capital Campaign Committee.

Pat Roberson | Vice President, Chief Media Strategist

Our resident farmer Pat, drove tractors, slopped pigs, and had egg fights with her brothers. She filled her time hunting arrows in the pasture with her closest friend as they solved the world's problems. 

Her adult life includes more than 25 years of experience in managing local, regional and national media programs for an impressive client roster including: Pepsi-Cola brands, Pizza Hut, H-E-B and the San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau to name a few. Pat has also developed Hispanic campaigns for clients such as the then Southwestern Bell and Church's Chicken. 

Pat is an award-winning media director and was most recently named the recipient of the 2005 San Antonio Media Alliance Award for Advertising Agency Management. Her commitment to securing added-value for her clients and her strong negotiation skills guarantees that our clients consistently receive the most out of their media dollars. 

She still insists that one of the highlights of her career was meeting Mr. Richie Cunningham - Ron Howard.

Rebecca Kassner | Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

Rebecca holds the purse strings of the agency with almost 20 years of experience in managing finances. For the past 7 years, Rebecca has lead the Taylor West accounting department, where she audits client accounts and supervises the financial affairs of the agency. Rebecca holds a BBA in Accounting from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Rebecca Berzewski | Account Director

If she had another career option, you might find Rebecca touring with a band or helping animals in need as a vet.  But her first option and passion is marketing and advertising.  

She’s been in the business for over 15 years and started out in Hispanic Marketing servicing accounts such as DaimlerChrysler, Corona Extra, Peter Piper Pizza, C.H. Gunther & Son, Sabormex Foods and the US Army.  The birth of her first son prompted a career change to General Market when she received a call from Taylor West to see if she’d be interested in leading the IBC Bank account.  She still recalls the day when she got the call and all she could think of was, day trips to Laredo instead of living out of suite case and traveling 70% of the time.  

She now has three boys, nine dogs and one cat (she and her husband are suckers for strays) and enjoys a balance of work and personal time. She still jets off every now then, but it’s usually for concerts. Mostly regional, but occasionally she and her husband will venture off to Seattle, San Francisco, heck even Nashville for a quick getaway.

Success has followed him since,as an award-winning account and strategy lead on some of the world's leading brands which include Nike, MolsonCoors Brewing, Yamaha, Electronic Arts, Nintendo, USAA and AT&T. Jeff comes to Taylor West from Interbrand NY where he developed brand and consumer experience strategy for AT&T's Global Marketing Organization.

He brings digital, engagement and activation expertise to the mix will lead our marketing innovation division tw | labs to bring social media and interaction opportunities forward to its clients.