Neal Schuler, VP, Creative Director
There’s a conspiracy underway in the catalog business. It’s happening right under our noses. You know what I’m talking about, copy kidnappers! Someone has been rounding up copywriters and turning them into CONTENT EDITORS! “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” comes to mind. You know, the “snatched people” attend to their daily tasks, but they really serve aliens. I’m not sure who’s conducting this war on words – aliens or execs concerned with headcount. It could even be “designistas” who claim more white space will drive sales. Anyway, here’s how I stumbled upon this…
I was in the market for a few pieces of furniture and was thrilled that I had just received a wave of spring catalogs. I had a nice stack to browse through: Restoration Hardware, Room & Board, Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, All Modern, Anthropologie and even a fancy brand I wasn’t familiar with called Y Living. I grabbed a glass of wine and began my browse-a-thon (and started doing a little shopping, too).
All these catalogs were beautifully crafted. No limit on photo budgets; images meticulously styled and directed. The design quality was top notch; graphics, images and typography all composed to express a high-style aesthetic. And the paper quality was nothing short of luxurious.
Each of these catalogs put a “brand toe” in the water, too. They positioned themselves in the opening spreads as arbiters of high quality and good taste, as cheerleaders for the coming season and they promised to always deliver (on everything). Restoration Hardware’s brand pitch featured B&W portraits of brooding designers. I guess these serious-looking folks were supposed to inspire confidence, but they reminded me of a trip to the office in grade school… scary! Sorry, Resto. But this didn’t give me a happy shopping vibe.
At first glance, these catalogs had everything going for them. Then I started shopping. The first thing I noticed was that the copy was super small. Now keep in mind, I’m their customer, their target demographic (Anthropologie excluded). My old eyes are the ones they needed to accommodate, so what was up with the tiny sans-serif font? In better light I noticed there were no dimensions or mentions of materials, either. Here’s an example of some Crate and Barrel product copy:
New Britta Double Vanity Countertop is pre-drilled for faucets (not included). $3,777.
That’s it! How big is this vanity? What’s it made of? Are there other finishing options? And not even one short sentence about why I might want this thing. It was like an annoying game show: Guess the size, material and options, then go online and see if you’re right! Some product copy felt taunting: “Available in two sizes” was all it said. How difficult would it have been to add something like “24 or 36″ W”? It’s only 11 characters. “Available in two sizes” is 22 characters. I guess there’s a war on specificity, too.
Like everyone, I’ve been hearing for years that “people don’t read.” Okay, I understand this to be true for most marketing situations. And we all know the catalog has evolved into a website driver, which I also understand. But here’s the thing: For me (the target audience), the lack of BASIC product information is DEACTIVATING. I’m annoyed that the retailer is forcing me to go online to get almost anything beyond price. If I knew the furniture item was going to fit in my space and other finishes were available, I’d be motivated. Instead, I’m annoyed. Think about this: These guys went to all the expense to get me excited about their offerings and their brand. But instead of driving me to their website and motivating me to buy, they’ve stopped the sales momentum to the point that I’m thinking, “Maybe I’ll get to it later, maybe not.”
Pottery Barn was the only catalog that reliably included product specs; information on construction and dimensions. Others made some general statements about materials, finish and fabric options, but not consistently. Pottery Barn also provided some really nice positioning copy as product collection lead-ins or sub-text to headlines. I don’t believe they gave up any aesthetic opportunities to include some words… for me it rounds out the presentation and gives it personality other than austere.
Here are four things I recommend when considering product copy for your catalog:
- Put your customer goggles on and truly assess the copy from their POV. Take yourself through the shopping experience. What would get you excited and keep the momentum going? What would interrupt it?
- Don’t be swayed by general statements like “people don’t read.” People DO read about things they’re interested in. If they’re not interested, you may have a merchandise or design problem.
- Challenge your design staff to appreciate the copywriter partnership. Too many times, copy (even headlines) is treated as an afterthought or a design element rather than an integral piece of the creative effort.
- Lastly, don’t get sucked into thinking that “clean design” means cutting out all the copy. Good design accommodates copy. Period.
If you need more copy advice, email me at neals@jschmid.com. I would bet the war on words will eventually result in poor sales conversion and the pendulum will swing back to a more balanced approach – aliens be damned.
Tags: catalog design, catalog product copy, Copywriting, Customer Experience, neal schuler, Strategy