TAXI DELIVERS KNOCKOUT PUNCH - Strategy

aoy gold
TAXI KNOCKOUT
Looking at Taxi over the past
year, it seems that change is the
only constant. The departure
of Zak Mroueh was followed
by a reshuffl ing that saw CD
Steve Mykolyn fi ll his shoes, Taxi
Content’s Daniel Rabinowicz
move to New York to replace
outgoing president John
Berg and Canadian prez Rob
Guenette named overall CEO.
“Paul [Lavoie, chairman and
CCO] likes to say we’re in show
business – he’s responsible for
the show and I’m responsible
for the business,” explains
Guenette, who says Taxi’s fl at
organizational structure – with
fi ve GMs reporting to him – is
what ensures consistency and
strong oversight.
Since its inception, Taxi has
placed on the AOY podium eight
times, including a record fi ve
gold wins. Now that the house
26 STRATEGY November 2008
is in order in North America,
Guenette is looking to Europe
in the hopes of establishing a
home in Amsterdam or London.
“We always have one foot fi rmly
planted in today and one foot
forward,” he says, adding that
the successful move into New
York has given him confi dence.
“The goal, ultimately, is to be
a global agency. We love being
independent, and we don’t see
why we couldn’t achieve global
standing in our sector.”
Expansion during a time of
global economic uncertainty
might seem brash (to put it
mildly), but Guenette isn’t
worried. “Taxi has its roots in
the recession – it was founded
in 1992,” he says. “It’s made us
smarter, keeps us lean. There is
no fat on Taxi.”
He’s referring to the
fi nancial and work ethics that
have earned Taxi a place on
Deloitte’s 50 Best Managed
Companies in Canada list for
two years running, but you’d
be forgiven for thinking of
Koodo, Taxi’s latest home run
for longtime client Telus. The
campaign stretched beyond
mass advertising to streamline
everything from the on-hold
Paul likes to say we’re in show business
– he’s responsible for the show and I’m
responsible for the business
music on customer service
lines to shopping bags and
mall kiosks. Although Guenette
points out that design has
been “part of our genetic code”
since the beginning, the recent
renaissance can be traced
to ECD Steve Mykolyn – also
the mind behind 15 Below
– who has a strong design
background. “He is one of the
original 360-degree thinkers,”
says Guenette. “The world is
changing, and there are more
stories to tell in more places.”
www.strategymag.com
BY CAREY TOANE
Home gym: Toronto (x2), Vancouver, Calgary,
New York
Entourage: 360 deep
Season highlights: New business wins
from Koodo, The Weather Network, Toronto
FC, Parkinson Society, Harlequin, Dasani
Essentials, Fanta, Powerade, Vancouver
Aquarium, Bombardier Aerospace and
Groupe Germain (Alt and Le Germain Hotels).
The 15 Below project won at D&AD, ADC,
the One Show and in the Design category at
Cannes; Mini snagged a Gold Lion at Cannes
Defeats: Lost Eska business to Zig (see p. 50)
Management moves: Steve Mykolyn
stepped in for former ECD Zak Mroueh;
Daniel Rabinowicz replaced John Berg as
president in New York. Gary Westgate, former
CD at Toronto agency ACLC, moved into Ron
Smrczek’s chair after Smrczek left for NYC
to take over for ECD Wayne Best, while Taxi
Canada prez Rob Guenette was promoted to
North American CEO
Training regimen: No silos – art directors
mix with designers and ad writers – and
no fi ghting for budgets, as P&Ls are all in
one place
Licensing and merchandising: European
expansion in the works this fall; closer to
home, a full-service Taxi Cafe is slated to open
to the public in the Taxi 2 building next month,
complete with branded coffee and t-shirts
designed by Taxi staff