MCM Awards 2008

Office Supplies, Furniture, and Stationery

	SILVER: Print Channel

	Raymond Geddes & Co., August 2007-July 2008

After 80 years in business selling unique novelty pens, pencils, stationery supplies and novelties, Raymond Geddes is well schooled in its craft. Its Silver- Award-winning catalog packs a plethora of items on every page.

WHY IT WON A SILVER AWARD: “The straightforward bulleted copy is reader friendly,” said one judge. “Effective use of captions and callouts to highlight product features, benefits, pricing, etc.”

Marketing earned high marks as well. “Very tight concept and execution,” a panelist said. “Clearly, Raymond Geddes understands its target customer.”

The cataloger also uses multiple promotional programs to encourage orders, higher average orders, and loyality. A judge added: “It screams out to the customer to pay attention to it.”

WHY IT DIDN'T WIN A GOLD AWARD: Many layouts are too cluttered, said one judge. “Seems like they stood back and threw stuff at the page.” — JT

Director/merchandiser: Laura Bruck

Designer/photographer/illustrator: Becky Ashway

Copywriter: Shauna Kelley

Printer: R.R. Donnelley

List manager: MCH

	SILVER: Print Channel

	Office Depot, The Green Book, November 2007-August 2008

It's trendy to be “green” these days, but with its Silver-Award-winning Green Book, Office Depot is clearly committed to the cause. The catalog “forcefully presents green office supplies as a category,” said one judge.

WHY IT WON A SILVER AWARD: Rave reviews poured in from judges regarding the front cover, which depicts a woman at her desk writing on a legal pad in front of her keyboard and computer, while small squares show pictures of various products offered. Said one judge: “The front cover is terrific in representing the brand.”

Merchandising also earned accolades. “Merchandise assortment is spot-on with strategy,” a judge said. “The presentation is effective,” and the 180-page catalog was printed on 100% post-consumer recycled content paper.

The copy provides “proper balance between editorial and product copy blocks,” another panelist said. The book “devotes significant copy to promoting green,” a judge noted, “and the message comes through loud and clear in a comprehensive way.”

WHY IT DIDN'T WIN A GOLD AWARD: “The back cover ineffectively communicates the brand's commitment to the environment with a boring presentation,” one judge said. And some panelists felt the book needed a detailed index. — JT

Director: Steve Gniadecki

Designer: Sandra Strasser

Creative director: Suzy Campbell

Marketing directors: Lynn Hopkins, Mitch Salley

Print/production director: Peggy Regan

Copywriter: Barbara Bernard

Photographer/illustrator: KSC Studios

Environmental adviser: Yalmaz Siddiqui

Printer: R.R. Donnelley

	Office Supplies, Furniture, and Stationery

	SILVER: Web Channel

	www.actionenvelope.com

When it comes to Web marketing, Action Envelope has it covered. The site sells plain and printed envelopes, in all sizes, styles and colors, to businesses, organizations and individuals — and it does it well.

WHY IT WON A SILVER: Action Envelope starts with “a good, utilitarian home page,” according to one judge, and then follows through with clean design and effective navigation options.

“Its discrete zones organize products by application, as well as traditional merchandising categories like ‘Popular’ and ‘New,’ ” the panelist said. Another judge felt its customer service information was friendly and gave the buyer confidence.

WHY IT DIDN'T WIN A GOLD: At times, “search seemed more eager than smart,” said one judge. “A search for business cards returns results for 8.5 × 11 cardstock.” And some misspellings such as “invitaition” and “envoleple” returned “a pretty bare null results page,” a judge said. — TP

Website designer: Alexander Interactive

	Small Catalog

	SILVER: Print Channel

	Action Bag Co., Spring 2007

The Silver Award was in the bag for retail packaging and promotions cataloger Action Bag Co. Though its category is Small Catalog, Action Bag has a huge command of mail order marketing.

WHY IT WON A SILVER AWARD: The catalog “seems clear in purpose and persona,” said one judge. “It gives the impression of intimacy with its customers in terms of knowing their business needs very well.”

Panelists also praised the table of contents in front of book. “Good presentation of ‘iron-clad’ guarantee,” a judge noted. Another panelist praised the “great use of copy headers, fonts, sizes and colors to hold readers' attention throughout the entire catalog.”

WHY IT DIDN'T WIN A GOLD AWARD: “Pagination feels as if it's ranked in importance from front to back,” observed one judge, as products in the last pages and inside back spread feel weaker than many of the other merchandise categories. — JT

Merchandiser, marketing/print/production director: Jaimey Alumbaugh

Designer: Heidi Fornalsky

Creative director: Carol Worthington-Levy

Copywriters: Carol Worthington-Levy, Jaimey Alumbaugh

Color separator/prepress provider: Quebecor World Premedia

Printer: Quebecor World

List management/broker: Lenser, Catalog Vision