Recently, the Magazine Publishers of America (MPA) awarded Taylor Guitars and its advertising agency, Vitro, the Gold Kelly Award for outstanding magazine advertising for its 2009 “Always to Our Own Tune” campaign. Held annually, the awards honor creative excellence and effectiveness in advertising and are among the most prestigious awards in the advertising industry.
“The Taylor brand continues to gain momentum not only within the guitar market, but among general consumers as well” Jonathan Forstot, director of brand marketing shares. “Receiving recognition from the MPA and a Gold Kelly Award is evidence of that. It was an incredible honor to contend with so many amazing brands.”
Nominated alongside BMW, Harley-Davidson and other industry-leading brands, Taylor’s campaign was conceived to celebrate the company’s 35 years of guitar-building innovation. The ads featured photography of high-tech machinery shot at the Taylor factory, alongside statements that express Taylor’s forward-thinking philosophy, like, “The kind of age old craftsmanship that can only come from an age old craftsman. And his helper robot,” and “One day we will create the perfect guitar. It’s just that the next day we’ll realize perfection could use some improving.” The lettering for the ad copy came courtesy of Hatch Show Print, the famed 130-year-old print shop in Nashville, Tennessee. Each wood letter block was photographed for conversion to a digital format that was used as the type in the campaign. It marked the first time the blocks had left the Nashville shop and were used in an ad campaign of this magnitude.
Chosen from thousands of entries, Taylor Guitars was one of 26 finalists selected as Kelly Award nominees, which also include such iconic brands as Haagen-Dazs, The Gap, Valspar and others. Finalists are eligible to win the Grand Prize, Gold Kelly or Silver Kelly Award for excellence and are also recognized in the categories of Best Magazine Ads by Size, including “Full Page” and “Spread,” as well as for “Best Integrated” and “Best Public Service” campaigns.
