The Rule of Lists

4. Compiled lists. These are people who share specific sets of identifiable characteristics, i.e., people who own Cadillacs, who have four children, who own their own homes.

Many new catalogers find the idea of compiled lists intuitively compelling. They envision their audience in demographic terms, and imagine that a list of “50-plus-year-old RV owners who own Labrador retrievers” is the ideal list for their catalog of RV pet accessories.