Branding: The Integrated Shopper

The products are displayed far too democratically. Every item is given equal treatment, rather than selecting key hero products and giving them more space. This made the book too bland. Every spread looked exactly the same.

Cabela's also ?missed an opportunity that both Patagonia and REI used so well — rarely, if ever, did it remind customers why they're buying the products. Cabela's spent all its time (in the catalog, on the website and in the store) presenting what it had to sell, but little reminding the shopper why to buy it. These guys love the outdoors, fishing, the thrill of the hunt. Surround them with an emotional experience that creates desire. Cabela's can do better. I give it a C+. ROI

Brent Niemuth is the vice president/creative director at J. Schmid & Assoc., a multichannel design, branding and marketing firm (brentn@jschmid.com or (913) 236-8988).