Intro (00:00):

Welcome to The Taylor Ten. A fast-paced, 10 minute deep dive into the minds of those shaking up the marketing world, bringing you the sharpest insights, boldest ideas and breakthrough trends driving the industry forward. So tune in, get inspired, and stay ahead.

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Hailey (00:17):

Hello, I'm Hailey Compton and welcome to The Taylor Ten. I'm here with my colleague, Meg Scott to learn as much as I can about her transition from talent publicity to representing brands. In only 10 minutes, Meg started out doing some PR for some of the biggest names in country music, and now she's helping major brands tell their stories in bold, creative ways. We're chatting about what she's learned from the artist world, what she's brought into brand PR, and how thinking like a publicist for a star can actually make you better at representing a brand. So let's get started. Meg, let's start with your background. Before joining Taylor, you were deep in the country music scene. What did your day-to-day look like in artist PR and what did you love about it?

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Meg (00:56):

I have always loved country music. I kind of in high school had this moment where I was just mesmerized by live music. I remember being at a show in New York City and being like somehow some way I need to be a part of this. Fast forward, I went to Belmont University in Nashville and I studied music business, which then turned into a couple of really cool internships on Music Row and then led me to PR and comms for talent and for music labels. And similar to brand PR, it's different day to day. You're kind of working on as what we would see here on the marketing side, like a big brand campaign launch, new innovation that could be building towards a new album release, new single release music, video tour news. So there's a lot of similarities and just it keeps you on

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Hailey (01:45):

Your toes. Every day is different. So what made you want to make the jump from the entertainment world into brand PR? And then what surprised you most when you made that shift?

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Meg (01:53):

Well, I know the impetus started during COVID. The world was shut down and you kind of just have all of these, I don't know, come to Jesus moments if you will. I was in a transitional period in my life. I had just gotten married thinking about starting a family, and I was just feeling called to move home to Charlotte, North Carolina where my family was. And while we did live in a super remote world and still do, and there's great flexibility, I realized that in order to do what I wanted to do really well in country music, you kind of have to be in Nashville. You kind of have to be present to win. So that led me to exploring, okay, well I have this skillset, I have this background, how can it transfer into other industries? And lucky enough, I just landed upon Taylor and saw all the really cool work that this company has done and that led to a couple interviews and just getting the job. So essentially it was kind of a means the impetus was COVID and then rethinking about where I wanted my life to go. And it was just kind of the perfect transition period for me in my career at least.

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Hailey (03:01):

And you've mentioned before that there are a lot of the same PR instincts that apply across both worlds. So what are some of those key skills or mindsets that you've had from artist PR that now you find yourself using every day? On the brand side,

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Meg (03:12):

I think the biggest thing is it just goes back to relationships. Media relationships are obviously our bread and butter, but relationships, no matter what industry you're in, are just as important if in music, it's the relationship with the managers, agents, labels. And the same could be said here for our clients, our I partners in this corporate world. I think the collaboration aspect, the being approachable, being able to listen to other ideas, keeping your relationships authentic with press, I think that's when the magic happens. And I think that has been really kind of one of my skillsets that I've used time and time again. And I don't think the relationship aspect of PR will ever go anywhere because it's a relationships business.

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Hailey (04:00):

Because you've worked so closely with talent, you have a really rare perspective on what makes an artist and brand partnership actually click. So from your perspective, what are the ingredients that make a partnership feel authentic and not so forced?

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Meg (04:14):

I think the biggest thing here is just always be authentic fans, consumers, they're all very smart and oftentimes I feel like maybe marketers don't always give them enough credit for that. I think it's pretty clear when a celebrity slaps their name on something for a paycheck versus a partnership that is equitable and real on both sides of the fence. So I think it's just what does the brand want to say and how does that artist help it come to life in a really authentic way? Again, I think fans can kind of sniff out when maybe it's not super authentic to both sides. And that's just probably the biggest thing when we're starting to have these conversations on what makes sense for the brand and what makes sense for talent.

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Hailey (04:58):

Speaking of fans, one thing that the music industry does so well is build fandom. And fans don't just consume the message, like you were saying, they actually are living it. So how do you bring the same sense of community and loyalty into a brand's work?

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Meg (05:11):

I have had the pleasure since I've worked here being a part of Lone River, and that's the brand I think has done really, really well at that. The CEO founder, Katie Beal Brown, she built her business from scratch. And even before Diageo was involved, she took the time to get to know her consumers, have them get to know her as she was hitting shelves and retailers. She would send out packs to people who expressed that they were interested on social media. She got to know things about them. And I think that translated as she continued to build the business because people saw Katie as someone who lived their story and they still do, and five years later it's still a top selling ranch water in its category. I think that's just a really good example of having that building a sense of loyalty and community from the ground up. 

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Hailey (06:03):

What is one of the biggest lessons you've taken from the music world that's shaped how you approach your storytelling for your brands today?

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Meg (06:10):

I would say figure out what you want to say. Remove the clutter as great as it is to be a part of the cultural zeitgeist and be reactive to trends. I think there's also a fine line in trend chasing. You don't want to step outside of your brand ethos just to fit into a trend that's here one minute and gone the next. And I think that has been something over the last decade or so in country music artists have really struggled with that. Sounds come and go. We went through the bro country and then the alt country. And I think as long as you stay true to who you are as an artist, as a brand that's going to serve you well for years to come, and that's a recipe for ongevity

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Hailey (06:53):

For anyone who's listening that's looking to expand their career, whether that's crossing industries or just thinking more creatively in their current role, what advice would you give to them? 

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Meg (07:03):

I would go back to the theme of relationships. You never know where a relationship from a couple years ago could pop up down the line, never burn a bridge. I think we all know that at this point. And just when you do approach these relationships, don't do so in a way that's with your handout. Be genuine in your approach, and I think that is just the way to move forward in your career.

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Hailey (07:32):

Thanks again, Meg, for joining us. I really love working under you and getting to learn all of these things that you've learned from working under talent. And I love how your story has really shown that the fundamentals of great PR don't change, and it's just all about storytelling, relationships, and authenticity no matter what industry you're working in. So thanks for joining me, Meg, and thanks for everyone who's listening. Thanks for having me.

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