Creative

Catalog design and production today are faster than ever, but the process still can be daunting. The steps outlined here begin with branding considerations and end with catalog printing. Some firms add interim proofing steps that may or may not improve the catalog, but certainly do add to the expense. For that reason, consider these to be the optimum number of steps needed to efficiently organize the production process to create a catalog on time and on budget. (In addition to the 17 outlined below, you’ll find 10 more key steps online, if you follow the story to the Web at end of

I’m a virgin in the engine-building world — intimidated by all things technical and motorized. I’m definitely not one of Goodson’s customers. Lucky for Goodson, a cataloger that specializes in tools and supplies for engine builders, I do know a bit about branding, marketing communications and best practices for catalog success and customer satisfaction, and it’s apparent to me that Goodson does all of this. Goodson owner Scott Biesanz is certainly interested in building greatness that lasts. His opening letter states: “Some companies have faded, others have service problems and still others have gone out of business entirely. But here at Goodson, we’re going strong.

While product uniqueness and quality are keys to moving merchandise, product presentation can make or break you and your catalog. Creativity in catalogs also is crucial to driving sales, but brand awareness is as well. Stuart Cumming, CEO of Cumming Agency & Studios, offered several tips for store-driver catalogs in a session during last week’s DM Days New York Conference & Expo. Below are some of his top tips on planning, designing and producing a creative and effective catalog. 1. Simple icons/messages to get your message through quickly. Keep your pages cleanly organized with strict categorization. Make it easy for consumers to pick up

Some of the most exciting layouts and page designs in the catalog industry are happening in B-to-B. And you’ll find them in some unlikely places. It used to be that B-to-B catalogs essentially were commodity lists of products. Today, however, the best B-to-B catalogs take all of the tricks used by their B-to-C counterparts and make them work harder. Here are two quick tips to help you freshen your design and improve sales. The order of products in your catalog acts as either a welcome mat or a do-not-disturb sign to customers. For customers, the order process begins in two places — your

Two more tips to help you freshen your design and improve sales. Photography The best B-to-B photography tells a story. You can tell a story by showing the product in use, by showing comparisons and contrasts, and by showing the drawbacks of not using your product. Just like great copy, B-to-B photography should be benefit-driven. Metalcraft, based in Mason City, Iowa, sells a line of commodity items that it manufactures: I.D. plates and barcode labels for fixed assets. Yes, creating drama with I.D. tags poses special challenges, but the catalog pulls it off nicely. On its back cover, a hand wearing a heavy-duty rubber glove uses a

Replogle Globes, a cataloger of globes and other classroom tools, encountered several problems when it came to its 24-page catalog. The book wasn’t updated frequently — the last issue was dated 2004-2005 — and the layout made it difficult for buyers to find what they were seeking. “The products went from most expensive to least expensive in the catalog,” says Maureen Kehoe, Replogle’s direct market manager. “By the time educational purchasers got to the back of the book where there were products on an entry level, they’d probably lost interest.” Replogle, a B-to-B cataloger that only sells to dealers, hired Madison, Wisc.-based Planet Propaganda, which had

“A couple of years ago,” recalled Ken Harris, CEO of Carson, Calif.-based food gifts cataloger Mrs. Beasley’s, “Mrs. Beasley’s was in the toilet.” But like a rundown West Hollywood apartment overhauled to become a posh and highly sought-after condo, the $17 million Mrs. Beasley’s has undergone a dramatic overhaul over the past couple of years and has turned an 8 percent sales decline into a 25 percent increase. In a session at last week’s ACCM conference in Boston, Harris and two consultants he worked with explained how. The 29-year-old company, which has historically served many Hollywood celebrities and studios (its first-ever customer was Barbra Streisand,

The critiques at the ACCM’s roundtables and medical center in Boston last week that I took part in had some clear themes. The biggest creative challenges that surfaced this year seem to center around common areas. 1. Brand Identity. This, I concluded from giving these critiques, is a growing concern, as more catalogers realize that strengthening brand translates into sales. Goals include communicating a distinct personality and look as it relates to a “unique” positioning. Multichannel interpretation of brand is also top of mind. 2. Organization. This continues to be an ongoing challenge, especially with smaller catalogers that often have less experienced talent that just doesn’t

During an intensive session at the ACCM Conference in Boston on May 21, a panel discussed assorted ways to maximize catalog photography budgets. Most notable among the tips fired out by Carliss Million, VP/creative director of catalog consulting firm Lorel Marketing Group; Geoff Van Sonsbeeck, cofounder/owner of pregnant women’s cataloger Isabella Oliver; and Sue Blesch, senior account executive at North American Color, a pre-press and printing company, were a 25-step plan to make your catalog shoot a success. Below is their list, a hodgepodge of necessary tools, actions and assorted quirky suggestions. 1. concepts and mood boards 2. implications on creative 3. the right team 4. copyrights and

This is my 21st go-round attending ACCM, the Annual Conference for Catalog and Multichannel Merchants (did I get that whole thing right?), being held May 21-23 in Boston. For my first 18, I was part of the assorted parent companies that co-sponsored the event with the DMA. But for the past two, as a press attendee and not a part-host, I’ve picked up a different perspective on this event as well as on some other conferences. Actually, I take that back: This year, I’m sort of a part-host again on the other side of the partnership since I was recently named chairman/editor of the