Sell the Sizzle with Clarity
It’s been considerably more than 70 years since supersalesman Elmer Wheeler published his book, Tested Sentences that Sell, which included the immortal
Herschell Gordon Lewis
I get a “Free rush delivery upgrade?” Wow!
As this column has reflected before, the mini-gap between catalog copy and conventional direct response copy has been shrinking. No surprise, since copy
A worthwhile infection
For at least five years maybe 10 this cry has resounded through the venerable ivy-covered walls of the catalog universe: Printed catalogs are obsolete!
Sticking my head into the lion’s mouth
Every year it gets harder. No, it doesn’t get harder because we have fewer catalogs. It gets harder because it’s more difficult to isolate catalogs that
The shift to a two-step conversion
One of the latter-day dangers many catalogers face is using their print editions as bland feeder-mechanisms to their Websites. Whether a target customer
Salesmanship or showmanship?
2009 MCM AWARD WINNERS COPY Perennial winners dominated the Multichannel Merchant Awards this year. New Pig, L.L. Bean, Black Box, Hanna Andersson, Harry
New vs. nu?
This shouldn’t be an iconoclastic suggestion: Catalogs that lean on the same old clichs not only don’t reflect the most aggressive and most competitive
Don’t cannibalize your own response
Which of these headings for a $39.95 lighted, fogless mirror is more likely to generate a response? Inside the cover of the company’s printed catalog:
Smart copy can prevent returns
The What if factor can be a barrier to an order. But it has a secondary cutting edge: It can be the cause of returned merchandise. That double edge cuts
These came close
Healthy Living Nothing nothing about this catalog is a salute to artistry. It’s the way catalogs used to look, with four to six items on each page. What