Debra Goldstein

By Gretchen A. Peck Some practical, modern insert media tips for catalogers. Postal rates went up earlier this year, and they're expected to rise again in about another year. For catalogers looking for ways to offset some of their distribution costs, the time may be right to launch an insert media program or ramp up an existing one. "One of the main challenges for any mailer right now is that you only have so many promotional dollars to acquire new customers," says Garrison Cummings, circulation analyst for Miles Kimball, a general merchandise cataloger. "With postage rates going up, you have to look down other

By Debra Goldstein More and more catalogers are discovering this winning method of increasing revenue. Package inserts, catalog blow-ins, ride-alongs and statement stuffers — these are just a few of the ways catalogers are generating additional revenue. By creating profit centers through various insert media, catalogers are taking advantage of the current climate in which every dollar counts. They're creating larger pools of opportunities for themselves, in addition to instituting programs that benefit their insert advertisers. The usual published rates for a cataloger's package-insert program range from $50 to $60/M, while catalog blow-ins generally are priced from $25 to $35/M. There are about

By Gretchen Kirby Peck Advertising-insert programs: How to make them work for your catalog. Despite a rocky 2002 economy, catalogers are forging ahead, turning their attention to new manufacturing practices to support—and, in some cases, supplement—their sales efforts. Order forms aren't the only things you'll find nestled in your favorite catalog these days. Increasingly, catalogers are partnering with third-party mailers to insert advertising into catalog pages. And the ads are taking myriad forms, most commonly as blow-in and bind-in inserts. (Blow-ins are loose ad inserts, while bind-ins are inserts that are bound into the book.) For catalogers, these initiatives often

By Gretchen Kirby Peck Advertising-insert programs: How to make them work for your catalog. Despite a rocky 2002 economy, catalogers are forging ahead, turning their attention to new manufacturing practices to support—and, in some cases, supplement—their sales efforts. Order forms aren't the only things you'll find nestled in your favorite catalog these days. Increasingly, catalogers are partnering with third-party mailers to insert advertising into catalog pages. And the ads are taking myriad forms, most commonly as blow-in and bind-in inserts. (Blow-ins are loose ad inserts, while bind-ins are inserts that are bound into the book.) For catalogers, these initiatives often