Makeover Madness

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Katie Muldoon

• 30 years direct marketing experience
• Worked with over 300 companies
• Boards, awards and more
• Author
• Catalog Marketing
• Direct/DM News/Catalog Age
• Teacher
• NYC
• DMA
• Business owner
• The Muldoon Agency
• Muldoon Baer

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Mark Gilchrist

• Founded Bulldog Studios in 1985
• Principals have over 40 years combined experience
  in the creative and marketing industries
• Full-service, award-winning creative agency
• Catalog consulting, design and development
• Direct mail campaigns
• Print ad campaigns and media planning
• Collateral materials
• Website design and development
• Corporate identity programsand more

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Catalogs To Be Reviewed

• Rumas
• Fruit Gift Basket World
• Plus cookies, cheeses, cakes, candies and more
• USI
• Full Line Catalog
• Laminating, mounting, photo ID, presentation,
  binding, packaging, accessories and more
• Support Plus
• Summer 2004
• Unique health-care products and support-wear

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Overview of Process

• Catalog participant profiles
• Positioning statement
• Demographics
• Creative wishes per catalog

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Disclaimer

• All examples use some photos that legally belong
  to someone else
• OK to use for teaching
• Not OK to actually use, even as a knock-off, in
  your catalogs
• Designs are the property of Mark Gilchrist
• Not every item in each catalog covered the same
  in order to provide more points overall
• Because covers are such an emotional and seasonal
  process, we have chosen not to redesign them

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What Goes into a Creative Strategy

• Target customer
• Positioning
• Competition
• Merchandising/product offering
• Creative model (we will be focusing on this
  aspect today)
• Contact strategy

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Target Customer

• Demographics of house
• Attitude
• Key characteristics
• Key motivations
• Demographics of prospects (core and peripheral)
• Attitudes
• Key characteristics
• Key motivations

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Positioning

• Differentiation
• Positioning statement
• Advantages/disadvantages

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Competition

• Major strengths/weaknesses per segment (retail,
  wholesale, mail, internet)
• Creative
• Merchandise selection
• Merchandise pricing
• Service
• Overall positioning

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Merchandise/Product Offering

• Key product attributes
• Strategy for the year
• Value proposition
• Offers/promotions
• Bundles
• Pagination (including editorial)

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Creative Model (our concentration today)

• Brand Statement
• Overall tone
• Usage and frequency
• Body
• Density
• Number of pages
• Format
• Graphic design approach
• Copy voice
• Promotional influence

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Contact Strategy

• Relationship to other mailings
• Theme per issue/drop/contact

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Facilitating the Creative Process

• Target audience
• Customer feedback
• Existing style guide(s)
• Likes and dislikes
• Budget
• (Re)design can be a multi-step process
• Inexpensive ideas anyone can implement type,
  color, balance, consistency
• Avoid pitfalls
• Dont fall in love with what you have
• Dont stagnate stay fresh and current

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Rumas Front Cover

• Picture-frame design style
• Lots of different type treatments and stacked
  copy
• Very traditional approach

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Rumas Inside Front Cover
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Rumas Back Cover

• Big assortment
• Relatively high price point
• Strong toll-free
• No coding info
• Indicia area overly large

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Rumas Typical Page

• Offers everything from food and wine to spa
  products
• All in containers

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Rumas Positioning Statement

• Experts in fruit, Rumas has been in the produce
  business since 1900
• All fruit is personally inspected before
  purchasing to assure top quality and condition
• Rumas prides themselves on their attention to
  service

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Rumas Target Market

• Comprised of both business-to-consumer and
  business-to-business
• Focusing on Maine and New England in the
  short-term, nationally in the long-term
• Food products traditionally do almost all their
  business in the 4th quarter
• Rumas has, until this year, mailed 1X/yr.
• This year, besides that one mailing, will also
  mail 2X to B2B customers

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Rumas Major Creative Desire

• In the process of making creative changes and
  would like input on
• Introductory page
• Use of testimonials
• Photographing baskets of food

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Rumas Brand Statement

• Overall Tone
• Traditional values based on century experience
• Contemporary approach that shows traditional does
  not mean stodgy
• Convey that these products bring not just food to
  the recipients, but also delicious joy

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Rumas Overall Tone

• Traditional Values
• Show some produce being harvested or selected
• Peaches in crates
• Sell the ambiance, not just the product

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Rumas Overall Tone

• Contemporary approach that shows traditional does
  not mean stodgy
• Mix in some B/W photography
• Occasionally use photography that makes them
  smell the product

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Rumas Overall Tone

• People enjoying the gift, close-up

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Rumas Overall Tone

• Sprinkle real life photos of people enjoying
  their gifts
• Adapt for corporate version

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Rumas Brand Statement

• Usage and Frequency
• Ruma-branded foods need to
• Be pulled out from the main photo
• Have glamour photography
• Create and promote gift cards in Rumas gold foil

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Rumas Brand Statement

• Put Rumas brand on all items associated with
  gifts

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Rumas Body

• Density
• Need to increase density to average 34 items per
  page
• Not all spreads should be the same density
• Alternate heavy-density spreads with lighter
  density based on product sales

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Rumas Body

• Number of pages
• Catalog is currently 32 pages, which is the
  minimum to be competitive in this market
• Attempt to get to larger size (48 should be next
  step if products will allow)
• This would allow use of lighter weight paper than
  currently being used offer more product for
  close to same in-the-mail cost
• But must be teamed with higher density
• Go for higher density before increasing pages

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Rumas Body

• Format
• 8 1/2 x 11 size could be smaller, save on paper
  cost and not effect overall look and feel
• May not need paper as heavy as is currently being
  used
• If wish to do year-round business, will need
  alternate sizes

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Rumas Body

• Graphic design approach
• Higher density entwined with editorial supporting
  overall tone
• Organized to allow hero low-density spreads and
  other higher-density spreads
• Photograph with more up-to-date lighting and
  styling
• Boxed photos to contain multiple products within
  one product (minimal silos)
• Sans serif typeface for editorial, modern serif
  for body copy

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Rumas Body, Density

• Higher density

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Rumas Body, Density

• Lower-density, hero spread

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Rumas Body, Photography

• Use lighting to
• Bring out the texture
• Make the item look like it is in an office or home

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Rumas Body, Photography

• Pull piece of product out of the product itself
• Try shooting some items overhead
• Prop with explanatory item (prunes for prune
  cake)
• Almost always have something outside of the main
  item for sale

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Rumas Body, Boxed Photos

• Due to complexity of products sold, products
  almost always need the confinement of a box
• Allows for higher density

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Rumas Body, Type

• Very up-to-date looking serif for body
• Sans serif for editorial and headlines

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Rumas Body, Type

• Put benefit copy in the lead-in for the product
• Either as the first copy block head or, as in
  this case, the second
• Note the use of the brand name in the header

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Rumas Body, Introductory Page

• Minimal editorial
• 1/8 to 1/4 page of page 2
• Upper left hand corner of page
• Treat rest of page as a spread
• Lead with your best seller or seasonal newcomer
  based on best seller
• Density about 34 items for the spread

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Rumas Body, Use of Testimonials

• Very effective form of communication
• Sprinkle throughout in consistent, soft pastel
  type
• Use quote marks and italic version of the body
  copy type
• Use customers name and city

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Rumas Body, Copy Voice

• Copy voice
• Current voice personal, exciting, relatively
  detailed and seductive
• Example
• This extraordinary basket begins with a
  mouth-watering selection of the freshest fruits
  available, including grapefruit, apples, oranges,
  pears and a giant pineapple. Then we add sweet
  Swiss chocolate, delicious preserves, Gouda or
  Edam cheeses, imported crackers and sweet
  sparkling cider! Our most popular line of
  baskets that will get you rave reviews!

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Rumas Body, Copy Voice

• Continue tone
• Drop the exclamation points
• Especially not right for business environment
• Lead with benefit-oriented copy block head not
  just list of what it is
• Lead with the stimulating copy
• Break out exactly what goes in each basket in a
  separate, secondary paragraph
• Add more editorial throughout the catalog

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Rumas Body

• Promotional Influence
• Pay special attention to how prices are shown
• Think seasonality and promote better price if
  order by date based on seasonality of product
• Do not become overly promotional, as it does not
  fit with wholesome image

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Rumas Promotional Influence

• Use bold prices ending in .95
• Do not make the whole SKU area bold
• Gift buyers of food tend to buy on price

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Rumas Promotional Influence

• Think seasonality
• Requires more frequent mailings

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Rumas Check Out

• In your category, nobody does it better than
  HARRY DAVID
• Watch them like a hawk

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Rumas Makeover Summary

• Wanted input on
• Introductory page
• Testimonials
• Photographing food
• We also suggested
• Type changes
• Mixed-density spreads
• Glamour and black-and-white photography
• Benefit-oriented lead-ins

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Rumas Makeover Spread 1

• Introductory spread designed as a cohesive unit
• Photo crosses the gutter
• Balance achieved across the spread not on
  individual pages
• Hero spread
• Tint behind letter sets it apart
• Floating toll-free slug allows for greater layout
  variety photos can bleed
• Credit card information moved to order form

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Rumas Makeover Spread 1, contd.

• Glamour photography
• Diffused lighting shadows
• Sell the ambiance not just the product
• Vary the backgrounds
• Create natural environments to shoot in

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Rumas Makeover Spread 1, contd.

• Sans serif body and editorial copy, serif heads
• Sans serif Frutiger
• Serif Berkeley
• Use of color draws attention to benefit-oriented
  lead-ins adds graphic interest

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Rumas Before, Spread 1
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Rumas After, Spread 1
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Rumas Makeover Spread 2

• Testimonial introduced
• Mixed density spreads 23 has 4 products, 45
  has 7 products and editorial
• Variety of backgrounds helps similar products
  stand out
• Black-and-white photography and editorial convey
  the tradition and experience behind the company
• Pieces of product broken out from main product
• Prices bold, other elements not
• Prices end in .95

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Rumas Before, Spread 2
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Rumas After, Spread 2
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USI Front Cover, Full Line Catalog

• Typical, clean grid approach
• Monochromatic color scheme
• Minimal copy in contemporary face
• Logo usage too complicated for current clean
  design

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USI Inside Front Cover

• Well- organized
• Fresh- looking use of color

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USI Back Cover

• What USI sells
• Basic mailing and code collection information
• Same logo as cover
• Contemporary type

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USI Typical Spread

• Too much space for header
• Professional approach

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USIs Positioning Statement

• USI provides quality laminating and finishing
  products to meet the varying needs of its
  customers
• The Full Line catalog is the principal sales
  vehicle and serves as the customers buying
  reference throughout the year

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USIs Target Market

• Education
• B2B
• Dealer/distributor

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USIs Major Creative Desire

• Build on extremely high customer loyalty
• Up to 82 will buy only from USI due to
• Speed of delivery
• Customer service
• Convenience and ease of working with USI
• Quality of products
• Establish a unique brand that is easily
  recognizable and approachable to customers and
  prospects alike

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USI Brand Statement

• Overall tone
• Highlight USIs focus on the customer by showing
  more users and visuals of service
• Make more current in feel but maintain
  easy-to-read and use
• Perception well-organized B2B catalog
  well-run, knowledgeable catalog
• Update logo and moderately stylize graphic
  approach
• Add a graphic element that customers and
  prospects can tie in as distinctively USI

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USI Overall Tone

• Incorporate more real people photos
• Preferably one photo per product category
• Photo could highlight and lead off that category

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USI Overall Tone

• Highlight customer service toward the front of
  the catalog
• Organize all ordering info in one place

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USI Overall Tone

• Make more current, stylized graphics
• Will cover under Graphics
• Unclutter and standardize logo usage
• Need style guide

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USI Overall Tone

• Add a memorable graphic element
• MUST be up-to-date style
• Make it part of a customer-focused editorial
• Could evolve into icon or spokesperson

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USI Brand Statement

• Usage and frequency
• Concentrate on and promote USI-branded items in
  editorial and with close-up photography

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USI Brand Statement

• Use regular editorial and close-up photography of
  brand name
• Logo on product must match masthead

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USI Body

• Density
• Appropriate number of items/photos
• Needs more clarity/differentiation between
  sections

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USI Body

• Hello Direct uses one image/message to lead off
  its phone section

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USI Body

• Number of pages
• For B2B, bigger books usually higher retention
• Increase pages as much as is economically
  possible
• Currently have used perfect-bound and, though
  small, have managed a spine with lettering
• Good use of copy on spine
• Company name
• Company tagline
• Date

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USI Body

• Format
• Maintain traditional, easy-to-file format (8 x 10
  1/8)
• Paper weight and type (glossy) is appropriate as
  provides good repro
• Some bleed-through but acceptable
• Some of the recommended graphics can help
  overcome bleed-through

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USI Body

• Graphic design approach
• Control floating photos
• Adapt newer, more stylized layout techniques
• Use design to better separate category sections
• Maintain type combo of sans serif heads and serif
  body for up-to-date, attractive and professional
  look
• Simplify type treatments used

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USI Body

• Corral photos for better organized, more
  up-to-date flavor
• Occasionally, use glamour photo
• Bars hold floating silos

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USI Graphics, Stylized

• Use either shadows, tints or boxes to hold
  photographs to the page
• Floating silos only work in small sizes all
  neatly lined in a row

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USI Graphics, Stylized

• Compare this USI page to previous slide with even
  more items
• Allow for additional type space by not having so
  much white space at top (of previous page)
• Cross reference good idea but so strong takes
  away from product

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USI Graphics, Stylized

• Alternate grid approach is to pull all copy under
  silo
• Copy grounds silo
• Works best if
• Header pulls main point of purchase together
• Editorial supports overall reason-to-purchase

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USI Graphics, Stylized

• Another alternate is to mix boxed photos with
  silos, but in a contemporary, organized manner
• Space by sales
• Non-silos stand out more
• Use for better sellers or products that set the
  mood for the grouping

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USI Graphics, Stylized

• USIs current category headers bold but not
  definitive
• Users do ID with color per category
• Keep major categories in same color field so TOC
  not rainbow
• Catalog becomes boring if all heads of pages are
  black
• Pagination should try to keep all headers on
  upper right-hand side(so facing left page must
  be same category)

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USI Graphics, Stylized

• Call-outs which point up specific product
  features
• If possible, use on hero product in half or full
  page

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USI Graphics, Stylized

• Comparison of products, such as laminators

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USI Graphics, Stylized

• Organized, boxed photos
• Clear, contemporary charts
• Illustrations that attract attention and explain
  product differences

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USI Graphics, Stylized

• Use pale tints to help readability

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USI Body

• Copy Voice
• Currently very dry
• Needs more benefit popped-up

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USI Body

• Sign Banner Color Kits
• Safe, quick, odorless without bleed through
• USIs water-based color kits are non-flammable,
  fast-drying, with no odors and no bleed-through.
  11- or 15-piece kits include paint pots, 3
  different size pens for each pot, 1-quart ink
  bottles for each color plus a handy carrying
  tray.

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USI Body

• Promotional Influence
• Keep promotions in other, more frequently mailed
  versions

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USI Check Out

• One of the best-of-the-best in B-to-B, DELL

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USI Makeover Summary

• Wanted input on
• Taking advantage of customer loyalty
• Creating a recognizable, approachable brand
• We also suggested
• Style guide
• More differentiation between sections
• Simplified type selection
• Smaller heads
• Better organization
• Distinct graphic element
• Highlight USI brand
• Callouts

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USI Makeover Spread 1

• Emphasis on customer service
• Lifestyle photographs
• Testimonial
• All ordering info in one place
• Moved guarantee up from order form
• Color-coded sections
• Less space used for table of contents
• Close-ups of products highlighting USI logo
• Balance across the spread

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USI Before, Spread 1
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USI After, Spread 1
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USI Makeover Spread 2

• Simplified typeface selection
• Sans serif Agenda
• Serif Galliard
• Smaller page head
• Large photo used to introduce section, however,
  less overall space taken up by section opening
• Small silos presented in grid fashion for
  comparison
• Re-introduced Tech Tip good use of editorial
  and acts as distinct graphic element
• Callouts
• Alternating, tinted price lines

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USI Before, Spread 2
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USI After, Spread 2
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Support Plus Front Cover

• Warm and friendly
• Shows product depth and seasonality
• Succinct tag line
• Well-organized
• Call-to-action

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Support Plus Inside Front Cover
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Support Plus Back Cover

• Jam-packed but a little too busy
• Good share-with-a-friend message
• Sale message somewhat buried by so many other
  elements

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Support Plus Typical Spread
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Support Plus Also Has Ads

• Long copy ad looks little like the catalog
• Different type, charts
• Combo packaging and illustration
• No eye flow

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Support Plus Positioning Statement

• The source for unique health care products and
  supportive shoes for the older market
• Helpful, friendly, knowledgeable customer
  service agents
• Trained by vendors
• Reps are easy to reach via phone or internet
• Quality at a good value

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Support Plus Target Market

• Median age 62
• One of the fastest-growing segments in America
• Female
• 17 living alone
• Conservative, religious, charitable, enjoy life
• Concerned about their health and mobility
• Lower to middle, middle class economically
• Mostly family incomes around 34M

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Support Plus Creative Desire

• An organized, standardized catalog that is easy
  to browse
• Not too crowded
• Dont want to sacrifice larger, more readable
  type in order to have higher density
• Spreads must look like spreads, not individual
  pages
• A phone icon on at least every two out of three
  spreads
• We do not shout at our customers no exaggeration
  or puffery

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Support Plus Unique Considerations

• Older audience
• Catalog paginated by category
• While Support Plus (left) layouts are cleaner,
  FootSmart (right) looks too similar

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Support Plus Brand Statement

• Overall tone
• Comfortable environment with framing white
  space for
• Easy readability
• Even fresher, cleaner, more contemporary look
• Purer feeling
• Use of color only when it has a real marketing
  benefit
• More organized layouts, but mixed so not every
  page the same

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Support Plus Brand Statement

• Overall tone
• Friendly, traditional, but not old-fashioned
• Must appear to have latest in medical knowledge
• Show the company behind the customer service
• Use consistent illustrations to stand out

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Support Plus Brand Statement

• Living life to the fullest
• Active older audience
• Go for younger audience without losing current,
  older market

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Support Plus Overall Tone

• Comfortable environment with framing white
  space
• Move type slightly further away from squared
  photos to create frame effect

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Support Plus Overall Tone

• Use of color only when has a real marketing
  reason
• Benefit heading
• Editorial

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Support Plus Overall Tone

• More organized layouts
• More use of boxed photos
• Tie-in copy next to photo or with clear key codes

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Support Plus Overall Tone

• Organized, boxed photos

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Support Plus Overall Tone

• Mix up the layout style
• When possible with silos, organize under one main
  photo that represents the entire line
• To save copy space, summarize benefits and
  features of common product group and reduce
  individual copy blocks

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Support Plus Overall Tone

• Friendly, traditional but not old-fashioned
• Serif headlines
• Sans serif body
• Some illustrationsfor drama

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Support Plus Overall Tone

• Living life to the fullest and appearing to have
  the latest in medical knowledge
• Add more small pictures of active adults
• Products in use
• Editorials

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Support Plus Overall Tone

• Replace existing editorial with simple health
  tips
• Create a series that runs through the catalog and
  changes per issue
• Discontinue editorials that consist of long, not
  easy-to-digest copy

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Support Plus Brand Statement

• Usage and frequency
• Some confusion due to multiple brand choices
• Promote own brand over others, even if others are
  now better known
• Create new name for own brand that is not the
  same as the catalog name
• Create and promote new brand throughout catalog
• Because so many other logos are shown, use your
  own logo at bottom of page, not just type

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Support Plus Body

• Density
• Currently appear to offer 48 items per page
• While density changes, look and feel of layouts
  do not
• Density is correct layout feeling needs to have
  more dramatic change from spread to spread
  (similar to what was shown for Rumas)
• A more grid-like layout, with more boxed photos,
  can help allow more density variation

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Support Plus Body

• Number of Pages
• 64 pages is appropriate for a summer catalog
• Shows extensive breadth of line

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Support Plus Body

• Format
• Continue 8 x 10 1/2 format
• Economical, comfortable for customers to use

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Support Plus Graphics

• Replace colored top banners and category headers
  with fresh, new approach
• This design allows for up to 1 category and 2
  sub-categories
• Reduce long categories to category and sub
• Also note good tip

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Support Plus Graphics

• Standardize position/design of all
  icons/logos/charts
• Now being done with vendor logos
• Also try to create one identifiable style of
  illustration
• Now have variety of styles

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Support Plus Graphics

• Use cleaner graphics and color type to walk
  reader through a page/spread
• One idea Support Plus top five (or recommended)
  walking shoes for women

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Support Plus Graphics

• Models
• Dont just use older models but show a range
• Appeal to under 60
• Appeal to vanity and confidence of over
  60-year-old

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Support Plus Copy Voice

• Copy is generally excellent
• Lead-in inconsistent
• Sometimes benefit-oriented, sometimes not
• Go for the benefit!

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Support Plus Promotional

• Older market tends to be very price conscious
• Prices are inconsistent, but this is OK because
• Feels like these are the real prices
• Makes multiples appear to be of even higher value
• Continue promotional aspect, just standardize for
  
• More contemporary feel
• Easier spotting by readers
• Impact will still allow merchandise to shine

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Support Plus Promotional

• Occasionally, use large, colored type to
  highlight savings
• And color choices (if relevant)
• Note use of colored type to hype extended,
  narrow, wide sizes

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Support Plus Check Out

• Nobody
• The field is yours!

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Support Plus Makeover Summary

• Wanted input on
• Organizing and standardizing
• Spreads designed as a unit
• Toll-free placement
• We also suggested
• More white space
• More contemporary feel
• Consistent use of color
• Simplified editorial
• Promote Support Plus brand emphasize logo
• New page heads
• Also appeal to younger audience

133
Support Plus Makeover Spread 1

• Unlike previous two makeovers, tried to keep all
  elements the same between before and after
• Balance across the spread
• Product crosses gutter
• More white space, separation between products
• Modern, more readable type
• Serif PMN Caecilia
• Sans serif Myriad MM (multiple master)

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Support Plus Makeover Spread 1 (contd)

• Type comparison new and old

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Support Plus Makeover Spread 1 (contd)

• Same density, more organized, visually simpler
• Strict 3-column format
• Still affords flexibility but creates consistency
• Kept rules between columns but thinner and black
• Replaced some photos with simpler ones from
  Website
• Replaced color gradient headers with simple
  2-color type treatment shorter names
• Uniform color palette throughout
• Main product shots bigger, secondary shots
  smaller, removed or replaced with illustrations

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Support Plus Before, Spread 1
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Support Plus After, Spread 1
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Support Plus Makeover Spread 2

• Same 3-column format but used alternate
  keyed-grid approach
• More square-ups, fewer silos
• Same color scheme
• Floating toll-free slug
• No credit card icons
• Support Plus icon and logo
• Added editorial element

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Support Plus Before, Spread 2
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Support Plus After, Spread 2
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Thank You!

• Any further questions?

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