5 Crucial Omnichannel Metrics

Omnichannel Marketing Part 10: Measure It Any seasoned direct marketer knows the importance of understanding the numbers side of the business. You have to know both the left-brain (analytic) and right-brain (creative) rules for maximum success. My philosophy is “know the rules before you break them.” People often ask me for the most important direct […]

Ready to Mail? 3 Ways to Be Sure.

In a digital-facing world, any brand would be smart to think twice before adding print into the mix. And yet, several times a month we get inquiries from wholesale companies or online brands interested in testing mail for the first time. What would compel them to consider print? They reach out because they understand that, […]

Five Ways to Mix it Up

Disruptive Catalogs: Part 6 If you’ve been following J.Schmid’s blog posts recently, you’ve already enjoyed reading about the many ways to make your catalog stand out, from show-stopping covers to using devices that invite interaction. But what about rethinking the very construct of your catalog? What about developing a mix-it-up strategy? We know the traditional […]

Catalog Critiques: Making Bad Good, and Good Better

Uncommon Goods: The Friend That Knows Just What You Need Throughout history, there have been millions of catalogs designed, printed and distributed to customers around the world. So what separates the good ones from the bad ones? Here at J. Schmid, we believe the answer to that question is actually pretty simple. Every great catalog […]

Catalog Critiques: Making Bad Good, and Good Better

Filson: An American Tale There are a tremendous number of catalogs out there, spanning the arc from breathtaking all the way to ‘this could use a little work’. I wanted to take a moment and talk about “Filson”, a brand that has flirted around the peripherals of my upscale workwear interests, but that I had […]

Catalog Critiques: Making Bad Good, and Good Better

Olive & Cocoa: Draw Your Shoppers In I’m a sucker for an illustrated cover, even when I’m not in the target audience – J. Peterman, Duluth Trading Company. There’s something about the artisanship, timelessness and unique look that calls to me and makes me want to see what’s behind it.  At J.Schmid, we like to […]

Catalog Critiques: Making Bad Good, and Good Better

Duluth Trading Company It’s my turn to chime in as part of our critique series, where we assess catalogs with an eye for the “Three D’s: DISRUPT, DELIGHT and DRIVE.  Does the catalog stand out and grab my attention (Disrupt)? Does the book engage me somehow (Delight)? Does it encourage me to go online or […]

Knowledge-Based Creative

Part 3: Personalize Your Catalog Covers Big data. Net Promoter Scores. Customer Models. There is a lot of information out there. And if we’re doing our jobs correctly, we’re referencing multiple audience indicators to inform our marketing every step of the way. Especially with digital. We can react quickly to customer behavior; turn on a […]