Catalog Doctor: Leveraging Your Catalog Assets Across Channels
Leverage Catalog Assets Before
They're Created
Before you begin building your catalog assets, think about how other channels might use them as well.
23. Many catalog products will be photographed propped. But your wholesale book may need an unpropped image. It's quick and easy to take a second shot with the props removed — and a lot cheaper than having two photo shoots.
24. Some catalog products work best when shot as a group (e.g., jacket, skirt, blouse, belt, shoes). Most websites require just one SKU per page, however. So when shooting, ask yourself if your group shot can be cropped several ways to show each product individually. If not, sometimes a simple camera angle change or product rearrangement will make the photo work for both channels. Taking another shot with one of the products removed (e.g., jacket off of the blouse) is another option to give you all the images you need for all channels.
25. Copy is basically the same for catalog and the web, but it needs to be structured differently for each channel. Have copywriters supply you with both catalog and web versions at the same time to minimize your copy investment.
Susan J. McIntyre is founder & chief strategist of catalog consulting agency McIntyre Direct. Reach Susan at susan@mcintyredirect.com.
Susan J. McIntyre is Founder and Chief Strategist of McIntyre Direct, a catalog agency and consultancy in Portland, Oregon offering complete creative, strategic, circulation and production services since 1991. Susan's broad experience with cataloging in multi-channel environments, plus her common-sense, bottom-line approach, have won clients from Vermont Country Store to Nautilus to C.C. Filson. A three-time ECHO award winner, McIntyre has addressed marketers in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, has written and been quoted in publications worldwide, and is a regular columnist for Retail Online Integration magazine and ACMA. She can be reached at 503-286-1400 or susan@mcintyredirect.com.
