Branding

Insert Media: A Miniature Resurgence
February 1, 2007

Like other insert media programs, such as package stuffers and blow-ins, miniature catalogs have been around a long time. But in recent times, their popularity among catalogers appears to be on the rise. Catalogers as diverse in nature as nursing mother products marketer Motherwear International and B-to-B uniforms mailer UniFirst Corp. have been successful marketing through mini-format catalogs. Whatโ€™s more, multi-title apparel and food cataloger Crosstown Traders plans to test its first miniature later this year. Defined primarily as having no more than 24 pages at various dimensions, miniatures can be a more efficient way to get your product offerings in front of

Contributions to Profit: Plan for 2007, Part II
November 1, 2006

Last month in this column, I defined the basic psychological and behavioral groupings of prospects and customers as suspects, prospects, triers, buyers and advocates. Developing marketing plans with these groups in mind can increase your results and profitability. This month, in the second of a three-installment series that concludes in the December issue, Iโ€™ll explore some strategies and tactics you can implement to accomplish this. For the purpose of this discussion, letโ€™s assume that youโ€™ve done a proper circulation plan and already know who you suspect will become your customers. Your suspects have become prospects by way of list research, and youโ€™re ready to develop

Merchandising: Keep Your Catalog Fresh With Ongoing Product Development
September 12, 2006

Iโ€™m often surprised by the answers I get from catalogers when I ask them, โ€œWhat new products are you featuring?โ€ They usually respond with a round of additional questions, such as โ€œWhat do you mean by new?โ€ or โ€œHow many new products are enough?โ€ Often theyโ€™ll simply say, โ€œNew products never work for us.โ€ But new product development should be the lifeblood of every multi-channel marketer. And if done correctly, it can be one of the most rewarding aspects of a merchantโ€™s job. To get your product development program on the right track, consider the following: * Reinvigorate your product line all the time. Even if

Catalog Marketing: Your Brand Never Takes a Summer Vacation
September 5, 2006

As the summer winds down, it may be time to check up on key some elements of your catalog business. Among others, consider reenergizing your brand. As Andrea Syverson, marketing strategist and president of Black Forest, Colo.-based catalog consultancy IER Partners, points out, brands are steadily evolving because customers, the competitive environment and the marketplace is constantly changing. Following are Syversonโ€™s step-by-step strategies for reenergizing your brand. 1. Signs your brand is in trouble: If sales have started to slip or plateau, itโ€™s a sign that your brand isnโ€™t living up to its promise, Syverson says. While you may have decreased prospecting efforts or reduced

Customer Retention: Keep โ€˜em Coming Back for More
February 14, 2006

Missing Person Description: high-quality multichannel buyer Last Seen: purchasing online 18 months ago The Details: A customer placed an online order for top-quality merchandise 18 months ago. Delivery confirmation was received three days later. Your repeated attempts to contact the customer via direct mail and e-mail have been met with no response. This customer is extremely valuable, with a high lifetime value and history of repeat purchases. Please forward any information as soon as possible. Do you know which customers are missing in action? Somewhere deep in your housefile are people who no longer shop from you. For some, service and quality issues alienated

Branding: Three Strategies to Refresh Your Brand
January 3, 2006

If youโ€™re thinking about rejuvenating your brand in 2006 and you want to hire outside experts to help with the project, you have the following three choices, according to Marty Neumeier, president of Neutron, a San Francisco-based branding agency, and author of the new book โ€œThe Brand Gap: How to Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Designโ€ (New Riders). 1. Outsource the branding strategy to a one-stop shop thatโ€™ll handle work such as advertising, PR, product design, Web design, promotions, events, exhibits, research, packaging and more. Neumeier notes that todayโ€™s one-stop shops usually are either multi-disciplinary firms or holding companies comprised of specialist

Strategy: Exit the Stage Right
January 1, 2006

Selling a catalog business can be an emotional decision. Owners often have an inflated view of what their businesses are worth. So arriving at a realistic price tag can be difficult. The old adage โ€œFor every seller thereโ€™s a buyerโ€ certainly holds true. But finding the right buyer for your business โ€” someone willing to pay your asking price โ€” isnโ€™t always easy. While we at Lett Direct arenโ€™t investment bankers or business brokers, Iโ€™ll share with you what weโ€™ve learned during the years from working with catalog business owners wanting to sell their companies. Timing is Everything Knowing when to sell

How to Get Feedback Data You Can Use
December 1, 2005

Your customers know what they want and expect from you. They know what your brand stands for, what they expect to find in your catalog and on your Web site, and the average prices for your merchandise. Theyโ€™re also savvy about the quality and level of customer satisfaction they can expect from you. Your job, meanwhile, is to determine if youโ€™re retaining your focus in customersโ€™ eyes. Are you still providing the products or customer service they want? Are your copy and graphics lacking in what customers need to know before they make their purchase decisions? Do customers think your prices no longer

Creative: Part 1. Keep Your Brand Identity Across Customer Touchpoints
October 18, 2005

As a multichannel marketer, you touch your customers in many ways. In a given year, theyโ€™ll see your catalog, e-mails, postcards, package inserts, Web site and even store displays. Across these varied media, what should stay the same? What should be different? Lois Boyle, president of Mission, Kan.-based catalog consultancy J. Schmid& Associates, offers the following three tips on maintaining brand identity across multiple customer touchpoints. 1. Vary your message, not your voice. Customers will get used to the way you speak to them, notes Boyle. If the same person isnโ€™t responsible for writing copy for every customer touchpoint, keep samples of your copy voice on

Redcatsโ€™ Brand Revival
May 1, 2005

The name Brylane traditionally has been synonymous with deliberate sales growth and budget-priced, conservative clothing primarily for middle-aged, large-sized women. But when the Paris-based Redcats, the home-shopping division of French company PPR, bought the multititle cataloger in 1998, it set out to apply a broader, more aggressive โ€” call it โ€œworldlierโ€ โ€” merchandising and marketing formula to Brylane. Fast forward seven years, and although the sales growth has yet to take off, notable transformations in the merchandising and marketing approach, corporate structure and company culture all have kicked in. Two of the New York-based companyโ€™s top executives โ€” Chairman/CEO Eric Faintreny