History

Fifty years... that's a long time. It's a lifetime for some, for others it's a beginning.
We'll do your art good.
1963
General Hospital had just begun its run on ABC, Zip Codes were introduced to the U.S. and Martin Luther King, Jr. had just delivered the "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
Willis Machinery – First Client,
 Logo Design
French Night - Poster Design
The work produced in Toledo must compete with the work produced in Chicago or New York. It’s a fast changing market, and we, as an integral part of that market, must prove that we are ready to accept the challenge of change.
—Bill Tailford, 1963
The sixties and seventies continued to see successful campaigns such as those for Pearl Drops, Raceway Park and Tinker Toys. This led to rave reviews, countless awards and bigger clients like Blue Cross Blue Shield, The Toledo Hospital and many more.
Blue Cross Blue Shield - Radio Spot
Pizza Inn - RadioSpot
Jim Cooper joined the team in 1979 and it didn’t take long for him to expand the agency’s services, geography and clientele… soon, whispers of their works were turned into roars carried on the winds of creative excellence...
The Toledo Blade "Tailford Associates Forms Special Cable TV Group—James D. Cooper has been named vice president of the group...[after being] an account executive with the company three years..."
The eighties ushered in the explosion of the telecommunications industry and with the confidence of the Buckeye Cable System, Jim Cooper led the way into uncharted territories. The demand on the agency was great, so much so that it became necessary to open a west coast office. An office in San Francisco, spearheaded by the business-savvy Steve Smith, former client turned colleague.
Cable Co-Ops
Word spread and it wasn’t long before Tailford-Cooper-Smith was on the forefront of creating and managing multi-system markets, known as Cable Co-Ops.
  • Bay Cable Group
  • Birmingham Cable Co-op
  • Chicago Cable Co-op
  • Columbus Cable Co-op
  • Greater Cincinnati Cable Association
  • Metroplex Cable Co-op
  • Mid Tennessee Cable Marketing Council
  • Northeast Pennsylvania Association
  • Southeastern Michigan Cable Association
  • West Palm Beach Cable Co-op
  • Western Pennsylvania Cable Co-op
As we grew, so did our understanding… our know-how…our marketing expertise.

Media

From the latest in green technology, healthcare, and education, to telecommunications, non-profits and the food industry, we’ve quietly built a Media Team who have become experts in pre-game ad strategy to post-game campaign analysis. Who can move quickly and smoothly to place any message, whether it’s electronic, print, or out-of-home media, to achieve the reach and frequency that our clients must have.
Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, with offices in California, Colorado, New Hampshire, Oregon, Tennessee and New York.
From Hollywood to New York and back we place media in over 100 DMAs throughout the country, including 8 of the top 10.
  • Optimized media plans integrating current market research and client analysis
  • Strategic use of traditional and digital media for more precise targeting, engagement and cost efficiency
  • Efficient negotiations and strategic placement of media
  • Utilize a variety of digital media tactics to complement traditional media placements—Video, Web Banners and Mobile—for optimal results

Analytics

We believe in no-nonsense analytics and we’re continually poring over figures, assessing the efficiency of every message. If trends shift, we change on the fly affording our clients the flexibility necessary to thrive in the fickle world of media.
> 1,000,000,000
Over a billion impressions served, tracked and analyzed annually.
Online Tactic Impressions Clicks CTR Trans-Entered Average Sale
Banner 180,504,561 230,456 0.09% 5,907 $91.25
Mobile 55,642,488 159,590 0.42% 780 $85.29
Pre-Roll 4,789,020 56,567 1.35% 290 $88.08
Total 240,937,069 446,613 0.62% 6,977 $88.21
Our dynamic optimization process provides a narrow analysis, yielding effective results.
  • Reporting by Country, State, City
  • Reporting by Campaign, Flight, and Banner
  • Confirmation/Sales Beacons
  • Ad Visibility
  • Re-Targeting

Creative

This is where it all started, what put us on the map — remarkable, relevant, memorable. That’s always been the formula for spot-on creative. We understand how language morphs with each new context, in each new medium. We know our audience, and we know how to help them slow down, take notice, and engage with our message whatever it may be.
"The very nature of our 'art' demands that we continue to strive for perfection."
  • Identity Design
  • Brand Positioning
  • Packaging and Point of Sale
  • Integrated Campaign Development
  • Print Design, Production and Distribution
  • Website Design and Online Marketing
  • TV, Film and Radio Production

Fun Facts

Many factors contribute to the culture and characteristics of Cooper-Smith, but it’s the people who make up our team that contribute the most to our unique personality. Here are just a few things that we don’t mind sharing about ourselves.
There’s only a couple things that keep us divided.
A few things that will show up on our iTunes playlist...
  • Pop
  • Rock
  • Indie
  • Jazz
  • Christmas
  • Cosmic Rock
  • Country
  • Hip-Hop
  • ...and occasionally a little Alt-Rock-Dance-PunkPop
and if we started a band we’d have approximately...
  • 7 Guitars
  • 3 Pianos
  • 4 sets of Drums
  • A cello, a violin, a French horn, a sax, an air-guitar,
  • a mouth harp, a kazoo and possibly an oboe.
Languages Spoken at the Agency
  • Italian
  • French
  • English
  • Farsi
  • Spanish
  • Jive
Woof woof!
Looks like we are majority dog-lovers.
Here are some of our pets’ names:
  • Mia
  • Oreo
  • Zabu
  • Pepe
  • Checkers
  • Oliver
  • Buddie
  • Dashauna
  • Dakota
  • Crash
  • Pierre
  • Zinger
  • Mayze
  • Moose
  • Baroux
  • Coco
  • Rex
  • Fleetwood
  • Lou
And the obligatory feline name...
Kitty Cudi
Dating Cooper-Smith.
No, no...not like that. =)
The longest time with us...
> 33 years
The newest newbie...
< 4 months
At Cooper-Smith we believe in having the desire, the ability, and the power to create; in possessing the gifts to make the intangible idea tangible, so that others may have a better understanding. It’s not just our passion, but our responsibility, to client, audience and to life, to aim for excellence in all that we do as an agency.
But even more than this, it’s about our loved ones, our families and our friends. When the dust of work and life has settled... it’s about the people who have made the past fifty years possible... made it all worth it!
If the past is any indication as to our future, things are looking up.
To learn more about Cooper Smith click here.