Bumper stickers are a time-honored way for drivers to communicate feelings to motorists, but Taylor Made Sales has recently been using its own variation of sticky notes to convey catalog updates to potential buyers.
For the last couple years, Taylor Made has attached neon-colored adhesive stickers to a horse’s hip number to notify customers about information not included in the catalog.
"Sometimes customers are concentrating so hard on the horse they might miss something,” said Taylor Made’s Duncan Taylor of the marketing tool. “The bumper sticker draws attention.”
One such example on display at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale is an Elusive Quality filly out of Taj Aire, by Taj Alriyadh. Next to her hip number (119) resides a neon-green sticker that reads “New Black Type,” signifying another black-type runner was added to the mare’s offspring. That was accomplished when 3-year-old Diva’s Seastar finished second in the July 6 Flawlessly stakes at Del Mar.
Taylor said the message on the filly could have noted that Taj Aire has now produced five black-type runners from eight foals to race.
“Something like ‘63%’ could have been another one,” he said, noting the dam's black-type percentage.
Denali Stud also uses catalog update stickers, but show personnel wear them on their shirts rather than having the horse carry the message.
“The showman takes it off and sticks it on the customer’s catalog page,” said Craig Bandoroff of Denali Stud. “It’s just another way to get information into the hands of the customer.”
Bandoroff said Denali Stud has used the stickers for five or six years.