Don’t look for any partridges in the pear tree on the cover of Harry and David’s Holiday Book of Gifts. The stunning photo depicts the snow-encrusted branches of a Christmas tree festooned with the company’s signature succulent pears. One can almost imagine Santa Claus himself passing on the plate of cookies left out for him and plucking one of the Royal Riviera pears off the tree instead.
Besides stimulating the reader’s imagination — and appetite — Harry and David’s cover creates “excellent positioning of the catalog’s mission with graphically clean elements,” said a judge, by drawing the holiday customer into a wealth of gourmet gifts. From fruits and flowers to cashews and cheesecakes, “everything I want — and do not need — is here and is appealing,” said another panelist.
Harry and David knows how to prey on its customers’ gastronomical weaknesses, not only with stellar photography but with outstanding copy as well. The product descriptions are sure to spark a strong craving in any reader. With phrases such as “silky, deeply flavorful — a satisfying confection in its own right” to describe a caramel dipping sauce and “a legend for their smooth, buttery flesh and resonant wine-like fragrance” to explain the lure of the company’s Royal Beurre Bosc pears, the catalog makes it tough for readers to refrain from placing an order.
And the catalog proves that colorful copy can also be benefit driven. “The copy addresses me, then the product, then its benefits, and helps tie it all together,” said a judge. For example, the description of the Pearsnapples with Caramel Dipping Sauce suggests an easy way to entertain: “Just slice the fruit into wedges, set out the sauce with some hors d’oeuvres picks, and your guests can entertain themselves.”
The catalog’s excellent color reproduction and choice of paper won priase from the panel as well. “Five-star production values — lighting, art direction, photography, color separations, and printing — make this the Rolls-Royce of catalogs!” declared one enthusiastic judge.
Still, Harry and David is more than a looker; it’s a truly “caring” catalog that will do “whatever it takes to get me, keep me, and sell me,” according to one judge. All in all, judges found the list of customer service amenities (next-day and reserved shipping, reports on harvest conditions that could affect fruit availability) exhaustive. “You name it,” said a panelist, “and they will do it.”
Bear Creek Corp.
2518 S. Pacific Hwy.
Medford, OR 97501
541-864-2018
www.harryanddavid.com
Company founded: 1934
Director: Estin B. Kiger
Designer: Sheila Chambers
Production director: Neal Schuler
Merchandisers: Denise Tedaldi, Brenda Spencer
Copywriter: Marcus G. Smith
Photographers: J. Bowie, R. Anderson, E. Groetzinger
Marketing directors: Mike Zodrow, Dan Jones
Printer: R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co.
Color separator/prepress provider: Color Control
List broker: American List Counsel
Cover paper: 60 lb.
Text paper: 43 lb.
Number of pages: 70
Trim size: 8″ × 10-1/2″