Catalogs that drape themselves in the American flag had better be sure they do it tastefully, according to Bill LaPierre, vice president, catalog brokerage for Millard Group.
LaPierre gave a critical review of the best and worst of 2001's catalog creative Thursday at the Direct Marketing Association Catalog Council's Catalog On-the-Road event in Boston.
Post Sept. 11, many catalogers rushed to get messages out to their customer base. Some, like Lands' End and Anthropologie, did so tastefully with e-mails expressing concern for their customers and offering links to charities such as the American Red Cross.
But others didn't step so lightly. LaPierre noted that on Sept. 20, he received an e-mail from I-Behavior that alluded to the attacks on America and their impact on mailers' sales, suggesting their product was the solution. "They could have toned it down a bit," he said. "This wasn't even ambulance chasing. It was hearse chasing."
Of the 2,488 catalogs LaPierre's household received last year, many of course offered patriotic-themed items. The bastion of British toiletries Caswell-Massey even got into the act with red, white and blue soap and Uncle Sam rubber ducks. "I don't think they're being disrespectful" with items such as these, he noted, adding that making a profit is "the American way."
Catalogers such as Lillian Vernon, Venus Swimwear and Martha by Mail that offered patriotic seasonal items last summer prior to Sept. 11 will have a challenge this year, said LaPierre. They'll have to figure out how to promote these types of items without looking like they're jumping on the bandwagon.
