Separating Yourself From the Competition

“The initial reason we made a calendar is we wanted it to have value as more than just a catalog, so people can use it,” says Sullivan.

In addition to its unconventional catalog size, alternative typography, product layout, product illustration and color are all used to portray the Black Dog.

“One of the increasing struggles is [creating] a uniqueness in the mail catalog business,” says Alfred M. Schmidt Jr. of Schmidt Group International, a New-Jersey-based catalog consulting firm. “It’s to the point where only the name makes a statement. The Black Dog breaks a lot of the basic rules, and you can say all kinds of negative things, but the bottom line is it works.”