Competitive benefit is king

Gold on the Web — Epromos.com I'm guessing that the current Epromos.com home page and jump pages parallel those that won the Gold Award for Business Specialty Products, Web Channel. Obviously, what the judges saw months ago isn't what we see now. But assuming the judges applauded the clear and easy organization of categories and intra-category items, that aspect remains worthy of applause.

Finding a specific within a huge online catalog can turn off an impatient prospect. That problem doesn't exist here, where two “clicks” bring the visitor to almost any product.

An occasional grammatical glitch isn't as irritating as it would be in a printed catalog, because the Web dictates a different reader-psychology. So “These high quality speakers folds out to bring more rhythm to your next promotion” generates a chuckle more readily than a frown.

Another Web winner — PetCareRx

I got a kick out of the current home page of Petcarerx.com, the Gold Award winner in the Small Web Merchant category. It shows a handsome dog — a golden lab, I'm guessing — with a headline the reader can take two ways: “Flea & Tick Sale.”

That notwithstanding, the site is a pleasure to wander through. Products are described with ample specifics, price is emphasized (as is proper for Web marketing), “Pet points” for each dollar spent help maintain customer loyalty, and lighthearted wording keeps the tone inviting.

Taking care of business Office Depot's “The Green Book” was the Silver Award winner in the Office Supplies, Furniture, and Stationery category. Timeliness obviously was a factor here, because environment and health are major selling points, emphasized by heavy use of green ink.

One has to admire the product research that went into this 180-page catalog. Pens and pencils are marked “refillable” and/or “recycled.” Highlighters are indicated with “Reduced Chemicals.” The green “Recycled” icon appears everywhere, identifying paper and binders and boxes and file jackets.

One competitive benefit to the catalog is that prices, however favorable, are secondary to patriotism and environmentalism. Copy on the back cover is headed, “Our Commitment to the Environment,” emphasizing that the catalog itself was “printed on 100% postconsumer recycled content paper, bleached Process Chlorine Free.”

If for no other reason, the intention of this catalog is worthy of an award.

And that's enough for this year I guess apologies are due to the Gold and Silver Award winners excluded from this review because of obvious space limitations. So I have a suggestion for those who are worthy of attention I haven't been able to bestow this year: Enter the 2009 competition. Maybe we'll have the opportunity to shake hands as a trophy passes from my mitts to yours. l

Herschell Gordon Lewis is the principal of Lewis Enterprises in Pompano Beach, FL, and author of 31 books, including Catalog Copy That Sizzles, On the Art of Writing Copy, Marketing Mayhem and Effective E-Mail Marketing.