The first thing that strikes you about this edition of the Mountain Travel-Sobek catalog is its tag line, “Dream 2000.” This aptly describes the catalog’s lush photography and inspiring descriptions of adventure and sporting tours in every imaginable corner of the world. One judge put it simply: “You would be hard pressed not to buy a trip with this catalog.”
But as impressive as the rich graphics and high-quality printing are, there’s more to this Gold Award winner than mere beauty. The expansive descriptions of the trips read like travel essays, pulling customers into the romanticism of the faraway locales.
As is necessary for high-ticket purchases such as adventure vacations, Mountain Travel-Sobek backs up the romanticism with down-to-earth realism. For instance, a key within the catalog indicates the physical prowess needed for each trip – and there are vacations for the relatively inactive as well as for the superfit, allowing the cataloger to appeal to a broad range of prospects. There are customer testimonials, too, which give Mountain Travel-Sobek a healthy portion of credibility, and an impressive listing of the credentials of each tour guide. This has a dual effect of conveying warm customer service while ensuring an authoritative tone. The catalog also dedicates a page to charitable causes and provides information about how to “give back” to the community.
And what prompted a judge to declare, “It’s the best catalog I have ever seen”? One feature was the two-page layout explaining in detail every facet of the company’s Website. Mountain Travel-Sobek encourages its customers to take advantage of all of its channels, and arms the customer with plenty of information to do so. And for good measure, the Website URL is listed clearly on each page of the catalog.
It is little wonder that this catalog is a Gold Award winner. In addition to a creative, appealing design, the company has managed to radiate warmth and ease, providing a comfort level that makes the customer’s decision to vacation with Mountain Travel-Sobek an easy one. As one judge said, “The more you see, the more you are convinced.”