Small Catalogs Forum: Creating Covers That Captivate May 1, 2001 12:00 PM
, Shayn Ferriolo
JobZone
Search and post jobs for the Multichannel Merchant. Including jobs for brand & agency marketers, e-commerce, catalog marketers, ops & fulfillment, direct marketing and more.
A great catalog cover doesn't have to mean luxe paper, a high-gloss
finish, gallery-quality photography — and astronomical production
costs. Most small catalogers rely on creativity and ingenuity rather
than a big budget to create a knockout cover.
New York-based catalog consultant Glenda Shasho Jones, president/CEO
of Shasho Jones Direct, points to four key elements in creating a
catalog cover regardless of company size: relevance, emotion, drama,
and differentiation. First and foremost, the cover should be relevant
to the customer base and tie in with the product inside the book.
“People want to know what's inside before they dive in,”
Jones explains.
Horticultural cataloger White Flower Farm catalog does this by using
lush photographs taken at its farm in Litchfield, CT. The spring 2001
cover features a field of vivid daylilies which entices readers to open
the book.
A successful cover should also create emotion and elicit some
response from the customer that encourages — or provokes —
them to open the book, Jones says. You might show relationships or
lifestyle scenes that will appeal to your target market.
For instance, Jackson Hole, WY-based nostalgic western apparel and
accessories cataloger Cattle Kate always uses model shots on covers to
depict how the catalog's clothing reflects the Old West lifestyle, says
owner Kathy Bressler. Shots taken against old-fashioned backdrops, such
as dirt roads, often use local horses and wildgrass prairies as
props.
Once you have established emotional appeal, Jones notes, “you
want your cover to be dramatic to stand out in the mail and avoid being
tossed in the wastebasket.” Something as simple as a closeup of a
single product, bold colors, or an eye-catching lifestyle scene can
create a sense of drama.
Creating drama is one way to differentiate your offer from those of
the other catalogs in a mailbox. Playing with the size of your book is
another. White Flower Farm selected a horizontal format rather than the
standard vertical cover to help it stand out, says vice president of
marketing Ken Lane.
Don't forget the back cover
While you need to make a statement with your front cover, don't
forget your back cover, “since there is a 50% chance that the
customer will first see the catalog from this side,” cautions
Jones. For this reason, Cattle Kate continues its engaging lifestyle
shots on the back cover, Bressler says.
Washington-based French inspired home accessories cataloger Chez
Clarisse always uses a lifestyle photo of a French country setting on
the cover — and puts its best-photographed products on the back
cover, says owner Jeremy shoot catalog products, but Metz picks the
cover shots from Motte's portfolio of French country settings. Even so,
shooting products in France may sound extravagant for a cataloger with
sales of less than $10 million. But Metz says he leverages a lower
price for the photography by selling Motte's book and some prints in
his catalog.
Four Tips for Top Covers
Give your cover editorial a hierarchy. The logo should be on top,
for example, and more prominent than the taglines, the URLs, and any
promotional offers.
Be specific when promoting special offers. For instance, use a dot
whack that states “10% off denim products” or “Free
shipping on orders over $100.”
Use your back covers to sell product. Try to place two or three
products on the back cover — which can be the best-performing
page.
Beware of grid or “collage” covers, which can become too
busy and may not perform well with core customers.
What was your best catalog cover?
KEN LANE is vice president of marketing for Litchfield, CT-based
White Flower Farm: Based on the lift we're seeing in conversion rate,
our spring 2001 cover is intriguing new buyers. And the daylilies
[featured on the cover] are flying off the shelves!
KATHY BRESSLER owns Jackson Hole, WY-based western wear catalog
Cattle Kate: We had a group photo of models in our clothes posed around
a chuck wagon. It was around 9 p.m. and there was just enough light for
the picture, but it came out great and set the personality of our
book.
KEN KARLAN owns Bethel, CT-based sports apparel catalog Star Struck:
It was a shot of Gabe Kapler of the Texas Rangers standing in front of
the dugout in Yankee Stadium with my son. This communicated our
position as an official merchant of sports apparel products.
