By now, you’ve figured out that you want – and need – to start reaching a younger audience. But how do you accomplish that in a catalog? Well, as a Millennial who happens to write catalog copy for a living, I’ll tell ya. Direct mail has always grabbed my attention more than the hundreds of […]
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 […]
Must be 21 or older All bourbon is whiskey. All scotch is whiskey. But not all whiskey is bourbon. And not all whiskey is scotch. Make sense? No? Have some whiskey. It’ll get your attention and make everything clearer. Just like a good headline. Because in a lot of ways, a good headline is a […]
Human beings have an attention span of 8 seconds. We don’t read anymore. We scan. Brands usually say too much. Cut your copy. Make your point. Quickly. Make things more visual. Get rid of anything unnecessary. Edit again. My 8 seconds are up. You get my point. The end. Having trouble trimming your message? […]
I’m asked to critique catalogs on a regular basis. Assessing catalog design is important, and I’m of the belief that we can “always do better.” However, many of my comments point out small deficiencies that at the end of the day do not make a big difference in overall results. Collectively they can make a […]
On an episode of AMC’s “Mad Men,” the irascible and ubiquitously intoxicated Roger Sterling prods the precocious Peggy Olsen to hire a new copywriter. Peggy cringes, concerned that the potential new Mad Man might be a little, well, mad. “Define crazy for a copywriter,” Roger retorts. “Sleeps all day? Disrespectful of authority? Drunk half the […]
Thousands of advertisers clamor for consumers’ precious time each day. These messages bombard their eyes and ears, each screaming for a few sacred seconds of attention. Catalogs compete for the same consideration, scattered amidst omnipresent television commercials, the Internet and whatever pops up on their smartphones. Once we get a catalog into their hands, how […]
