Cataloging Trends

At Alternative, it’s called a “magalog.” At Logomark, a “portfolio.” To many, it’s just a catalog. But there’s no “just” in the commitment that goes into making these books. Catalogs are one of a supplier’s best tools to catch your attention and inspire sales.

As a vital piece of the marketing puzzle, they’re not going anywhere, but the rules of catalogs are definitely changing. Not only do they need to represent the line they showcase, but catalogs must also be enticing and cost effective. These days, they have to compete with the Internet, too, or at least complement what suppliers are doing online. With all the resources available to you, catalogs are evolving to stay relevant in the market.

Despite the adage not to judge a book by its cover, a catalog has to have some shelf appeal to win a spot in your library. At Atlanta-based Alternative, it’s about being true to the company’s culture. Modeled after consumer fashion magazines, the Alternative magalog is truly unique. “It is vital that our magalog shows the creativity of the people who work for and buy from Alternative,” reports Jez de Wolff, media and events coordinator. “We are a community of ‘free-thinking people’ who want to promote music, art, film and fashion.”

The magalog highlights artists, brands and ideas that the company supports. Last summer’s issue, for example, points people to the Web site of a juice company, and the myspace pages and personal e-mail addresses of several artists. It also features personal stories, quotes and facts about the models. “The hardest part for us was securing our favorite artists like Jason Schwartzman, Sara Bareilles, The Coathangers,” de Wolff recalls. “Competitively, we just stay true to who we are and try and reflect that in the pages of our catalog.”

For the launch of Uncommon Threads by Aprons Etc., Executive Vice President Scott Thackston says his company produced an upscale catalog to represent the new line. The 72-page book covers more than 300 professional restaurant uniform products. To achieve their desired image, the Mauldin, S.C.-based Aprons Etc. crew took the project on the road 600 miles away to the streets of New Orleans’ French Quarter. There they shot photos on the streets and in local restaurants. Thackston says the outcome is “almost a coffee-table type catalog.”

Other companies are hoping their catalogs stand out by being easy to use. Bodek and Rhodes in Philadelphia has tried hard to maintain a user-friendly reputation in its 332-page book, says the company’s Director of Marketing Mary Ellen Pahlka-Hudicka. To this end, the catalog is color-coded by category. “So if you turn our book on its side, you can see that all the tees are in orange and the polos are in green to speed shopping,” she says.

Of course, for a large company, just incorporating a consistent and recognizable marketing message can get a catalog noticed. During the past year, Indianapolis-based Norwood introduced a new marketing strategy they’ve dubbed the “Norwood Edge,” and the company’s catalogs are getting an edgy makeover. Though previously separated by line, Norwood will produce 10 catalogs by category for 2008. This will help products such as the few golf accessories in the Air-Tex line — typically known for bags — to get more targeted visibility as part of the golf catalog, says Allison Avin, manager of marketing communications.

This brands Norwood, while also simplifying the company’s model. “We want to make doing business with Norwood seamless, and the first step for us is to reorganize our catalogs and our products in to category catalogs,” Avin says.

For suppliers of all sizes, these types of changes are being made to keep pace with the ever-changing industry. Many factors play into this evolution, forcing suppliers to mend their catalogs to fit the times. Costs, market trends, online resources and your changing usage habits all affect the way suppliers put their catalogs together.

Sizable Economics

Putting together and shipping these masterpieces costs a pretty penny. Add to that the recent rise in postal costs, and companies have become more careful when considering to whom they ship catalogs – and more diligent in cross-checking lists to avoid double shipping, says Laura Gaulke, a marketing and product line consultant.

At Alternative, they’ve taken into consideration distributors’ distaste for carrying heavy catalogs at shows. “Our magalog is currently 216 pages,” de Wolff says. “We are constantly revising size, layouts and paper to keep the magalog at a reasonable weight.”

On average, Aprons Etc. shells out $100,000 or more to compile, print, poly bag and mail 40,000 catalogs in each line. With an additional catalog now for Uncommon Threads, the company scaled back its other two publications to even out costs. “We socalled ‘robbed Peter to pay Paul,’” Thackston says. “We moved a little more in this upscale catalog and we’ve reduced page counts in our Etc. Line and Display Solutions.” Aprons Etc. also relies on less expensive tri-fold, six-page fliers with targeted product information in place of the catalogs for certain mailings.

Gaulke says the height of liberally printing and distributing catalogs was only three years ago. Of the four companies she consults, two have since reduced page lengths and distribution to save costs, aiming catalogs more specifically at key accounts.

The Green Machine

The environmental movement also continues to have an impact on the industry, Gaulke contends. Consider recent events and trends such as San Francisco’s ban of plastic grocery bags, massive product recalls due to lead contamination, and the ever-increasing demand for recycled and organic products. “The trend in being environmentally aware heated this past year at a rate that far exceeds global warming,” she comments.

Several companies report a new focus on eco-friendly products in their 2008 catalogs, and the trend is sure to continue. Alternative and Bodek and Rhodes both site “going green” as overall themes in their 2008 catalogs. Both are debuting new lines: Alternative Earth features organic and eco-friendly apparel, and Bodek and Rhodes has introduced two new organic lines.

e-Licious

For eco-friendly distributors who prefer not to use paper catalogs, most suppliers offer online versions, CDs or downloadable PDFs. But the Internet has had varying effects on suppliers. At Alternative, de Wolff says increased online visibility actually led to more print catalog requests, but that the Web component also provided a symbiotic marketing tool. “The Internet experience mirrors our catalog,” she says. Alternative relaunched its Web site in October, adding elements such as a jukebox to play music from the magalog’s featured artists.

Tustin, Calif.-based Logomark has also embraced the Internet with a downloadable catalog. “The Internet has been a great partner for the Logomark portfolio,” reports Senior Vice President Damian Want. “It is a tool that Logomark has learned to work with, to benefit from.”

As advanced e-catalog software becomes more prevalent, online catalog viewing becomes easier for distributors and more appealing to suppliers. “The e-catalog offerings directly leverage the rising cost of postage and the environmental issues to encourage printing fewer catalogs,” Gaulke notes.

Of course, online resources mean more production work, too. “You now have to do two catalog preparations: one in the traditional format for print and a totally separate one for the Web,” Pahlka-Hudicka reveals. Previously, one catalog photo could show several styles, but for the Web, each style must be shot separately in every available color.

Norwood, too, offers a CD version of all its books, but Avin says distributors are using both, rather than requesting fewer printed catalogs. “People still like to kick back in a chair and read a book,” she admits. Indeed, catalogs are still here for a while. At Logomark, Want says the distributor demand for the hard-copy is huge, and they’ve had to increase mailings every year.

During the past several years, an emerging trend has changed the way catalogs are being used by distributors, Gaulke asserts.

Huge catalog libraries are no longer necessary as Web search engines scour suppliers’ offerings more effectively. “Supplier catalogs are being used more by distributors for selection of products to put into their own online catalogs and preferred-vendor print catalogs, and less as tools to carry around or leave with customers.”

Suppliers, too, admit their catalogs are more about marketing than they are order-writing tools as in the past. “Catalogs are just one part of our marketing mix,” Thackston says, adding that they consume more than one-third of his marketing budget. “It’s very important, but it’s more of a branded piece to keep in the hands of distributors.”

Catalogs also set the tone for other efforts. At Aprons Etc., the Web site, e-blasts, postcard mailings and trade-show booth display all model the catalog. “It’s a launching platform really for all the marketing for that next year,” Thackston says.

Norwood’s catalogs also contain elements that set them up as marketing pieces. For one, they’re full of relevant usage suggestions and tips. The golf catalog, for example, has an entire section devoted to ideas such as how to plan a golf tournament, where most golf courses are located and how golfers spend their money. The goal is to have category-specific information in at least half the books, Avin shares. “We wanted to make it useful as a tool, really a selling tool,” she says.

In the end, all the pressures and trends affecting catalogs are sure to force suppliers to modify their offerings. As they begin to spill into your mailbox in the coming months, compare them to last year’s selection. The result may be more of a shift than an abrupt change, Gaulke predicts. “Catalogs will become more case-history- and lifestyle-focused to suggest selling ideas – making them more like an image or idea piece and less of a selling tool to sit down and write an order with as they had been in the past.”