Herschell Gordon Lewis’s Best and Worst Catalog Copy of 2015

Best, No. 1: Chefs Tool Catalog, online (Chefscatalog.com)

Wait a minute! You mean a dot.com catalog is rated number one, when the same catalog still exists (and in a prestigious reputational position at that) in its printed incarnation? Why favor the online version?

The answer to that question is implicit in the medium. As your eye meets the screen, you’re grabbed and shaken by a big, bold photo with matching heading – “No Burning No Scorching No Kidding!” Specifics are nonexistent on the landing page, normally s negative factor; but enough specific “clicks” exist to make heading for the information you’re after an easy touch.

The printed catalog is as professionally written and laid out as a winner can be. But it doesn’t transmit the stimulation as dynamically as the online version does. The catalog cover plays up free shipping, headings are loaded with exclamation points, and photos are superior; but in a head-to-head contest, online wins the excitement-factor.

NEXT PAGE: Best, No. 2…