Summary

Ben Smith introduced Sam Corry, CEO of Taylor Herring, discussing the agency's history, evolution from media focus to consumer PR with an "entertain or die" mantra, and its recent internal shifts following the departure of founders Kath and James Herring after 24 years. Corry emphasized that Taylor Herring’s current strategy focuses on integrated, long-term brand building, and announced the launch of "Cited," a proprietary GEO tool developed with Publicis Group's Performix to leverage extensive consumer data and provide measurable ROI for clients. Corry also highlighted the rapid growth of St. Mark Studios, Taylor Herring's standalone brand experience agency, and stressed the industry's need for data tools to demonstrate measurable results.

Details

• Introduction and Company Overview Ben Smith introduced Sam Corry, CEO of Taylor Herring, a consumer PR shop in London owned by Publicis, with clients including Sky, Aldi, Compare the Market, and Samsung. Smith highlighted that Taylor Herring has been influential in creating the PR genre around brands that entertain and has won multiple PRmoment and Creative Moment Awards. Smith also promoted two upcoming events: a PR masterclass on the intersection of PR and GEO on February 25th, and a PR planning guide for 2026 on February 3rd.

• Departure of Founders and Agency Future Smith acknowledged the recent departure of founders Cath and James Herring after 24 years, prompting a lighthearted question about Sam Corry's favorite founder. Corry, after careful consideration, named Cath as they were the person who interviewed them, acknowledging James's understanding. Corry expressed that while the founders' infectious energy will be missed, their departure has led to a renewed sense of energy, ambition, and a new direction for Taylor Herring, including a move to a new office in Chancery Lane. Corry emphasized that the agency's success has always been about the people working there, not just the names above the door, as they step into the next evolution of Taylor Herring.

• 25th Anniversary and Work Evolution Taylor Herring is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, with Corry confirming that a celebration is being planned to look both at the history and the future of the agency. Corry noted that the agency's work has evolved significantly over the years, moving from a media and entertainment focus to more consumer space work, notably ignited by their work with Paddy Power. This shift aligns with the agency's mantra, "entertain or die," viewing all brands as entertainment brands.

• Shift to Integrated and Long-term Campaign Work Taylor Herring’s focus has evolved from famous stunts and activations to long-term brand building and integrated work over the last seven years. Sam Corry stated that this mirrors the broader direction of public relations, where most consumer agency briefs now integrate PR, influencer marketing, and social media. Corry also emphasized the importance of creating campaigns that genuinely get people talking, aiming to "feed the WhatsApp chats" or similar generational communication platforms.

• Landmark Client and Personal Career Moment Corry acknowledged Paddy Power as a landmark client due to the unique, mischievous, and rule-breaking flavor of the work. Corry shared details of their personal involvement in the "Daft Punk Paddy Power stunt" at the 2014 Brit Awards, where he and an intern dressed up as Daft Punk, stripping down to reveal Paddy Power briefs, resulting in a swift escort off the red carpet. Corry reflected that their involvement in this stunt complicated his mum’s understanding of his job!

• Loyalty and Vision at Taylor Herring Corry reflected on his 13 years at Taylor Herring, attributing their ascent to the CEO role to loyalty and a strong belief in the founders' vision. Corry now focuses on ensuring the current team believes in their vision for the new journey and story of the company. Corry said he always felt he was "playing for the best club," enjoying the exciting work and quality clients, which meant he did not feel the need to transfer to other agencies.

• Client Selection and ROI Taylor Herring is conscientious about the clients they work with and often say no to business that is not the right fit for their style of work. Corry asserted that agencies only grow when their clients grow, making it critical to find good partners for long-term success and relationship longevity. In the current tough market, Corry stressed the need for brands to be even more entertaining to cut through the noise, including competing with AI-generated content and personal updates on timelines.

• Launch of the 'Cited' Tool Leveraging Publicis Data Corry introduced Taylor Herring's new proprietary tool called "Cited," an end-to-end GEO (Search Engine Optimization) solution for brands, developed in partnership with Publicis Group's performance marketing arm, Performics. This tool leverages Publicis Group’s extensive data on consumer spending habits and searches, which includes data on nearly 4 billion unique consumer profiles globally. Corry explained that Cited allows Taylor Herring to conduct full audits against key trading areas, spotting weaknesses and improving performance by creating earned media trust content for owned and social channels, then measuring visibility, ranking, and citations.

• Growth and Innovation Strategy Corry stated that growth and innovation are central to his mission at Taylor Herring, prioritizing the creation of new services and products based on client business needs. Corry highlighted past innovations such as the launch of St. Mark Studios and the Newsroom division, built to meet client needs like the shift towards social news platforms. Corry also mentioned that while Taylor Herring and St. Mark Studios are currently UK-only brands, they are open to future expansion.

• St. Mark Studios St. Mark Studios is Taylor Herring's standalone brand experience agency, which serves Taylor Herring clients and also takes briefs from other Publicis Group agencies. The studio, set up a year ago, focuses on creative out-of-home, experiential events, retail activations, and production, operating independently with its own production experts. Corry confirmed that St. Mark Studios has been an important part of the agency's growth story and is scaling rapidly.

• Industry Importance of Data and Measurability Corry stressed that data is crucial for eliminating guesswork in PR and providing the ROI clients demand in a tough market. Corry asserted that the industry must step up in developing data tools, or risk being overtaken by SEO and ad agencies. They believe that the new tools allow PR to demonstrate measurable results, supporting both top-of-funnel brand building and middle-funnel work where consumers are actively searching to buy.