Crime doesn’t pay — unless you’re selling goods to help law enforcement officials do their jobs better. And Galls’s summer 2001 edition of its Law Enforcement catalog most certainly paid off with the Gold Award in the Business Specialty Products category.
Starting with its “arresting” cover, which features a closeup of the company’s nylon duty gear and the strong Galls logo, “it’s very clear who they are and what they sell,” said one judge. “Galls comes across as professional and authoritative — perfect for its target market.”
Law enforcers need to be armed with such products as riot shields and gas masks, not to mention surveillance equipment, uniforms, and warning lights and sirens for vehicles. Galls sells all this and much more; just as important, the catalog makes it easy to find the products. A category-driven index and table of contents help users navigate through the “broad and deep assortment of relevant products,” said a judge. Keeping so much merchandise organized is a challenge, “but there’s lots of variety in spread design, which helps readability,” noted a panelist, who also praised the book’s “excellent” use of space.
The catalog’s copy, which makes frequent use of subheads, callouts, and bullets, is another strong point. “Copy is mostly descriptive, but the benefit touch is added through the use of life-experience stories of customers,” added a judge. Galls’s signature “In the Line of Duty” insert details true-life experiences from customers on the job.
And the page 6-7 spread includes four “Galls was there” stories detailing how the cataloger aided law enforcers handling the Seattle World Trade Organization riots in late 1999, outfitted officers of the Denmar Correctional Center in West Virginia in July 2000, supplied peacekeeping units of the National Guard in Bosnia in September 2000, and provided riot gear for a Cincinnati neighborhood rocked by a shooting in April 2001. These features add a human touch, a judge said.
Speaking of the human touch, Galls is all about customer service. From the “no hassle” guarantee to the easy return policy, simple payment options, and specialty order capabilities, the catalog makes it easy to place an order. And while the ordering/customer service section packs in a substantial amount of information, “the use of blue borders and a white background makes it easier to read,” said a judge.
Indeed, Galls lays down the law when it comes to catalogs and has turned in a “very clear and well-executed marketing concept,” proclaimed one judge. Another panelist added that the book’s merchandisers “understand the needs of this market.” So do the designers and copywriters, as this title “really shouts out,” the judge said. “It’s the standard or source for this target market.”
Galls
2680 Palumbo Dr.
Lexington, KY 40509
859-266-7227
www.galls.com
Company founded: 1967
Director/designer/production director/merchandiser/copywriter/photographer/marketing director/color separator/prepress provider: inhouse
Printer: R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co.
List broker/manager: Direct Media
Cover paper: 100 lb.
Text paper: 34 lb.
Number of pages: 420
Trim size: 7-3/4″ × 10-1/4″