SoBe Lizard Gear

Ultrahip South Norwalk, CT-based beverage marketer SoBe had so much demand for its promotional gear that it decided to sell SoBe-branded T-shirts and other products with a catalog.

The book dropped in December 1999 to a house file of 90,000 requesters and Website visitors. Another 410,000 catalogs were distributed through vendors and at SoBe-sponsored mountain biking events.

Vice president of marketing Bill Bishop says the catalog's 1.5% response rate is just half of what the company had expected. And the response from the 410,000 books that went to prospects ranged from 0.3%-1%, depending on the method of distribution. But SoBe is encouraged by the $54 average order size, given that the catalog's average price point is $20, Bishop says. And since the catalog's main function is to advertise and build brand awareness, SoBe plans to continue the book, increasing its frequency.