Great catalogs are no longer just about selling products. They must go further to emotionally connect with readers; they must offer options that engage customers; they must allow customers complete control over when and how they shop. The era of Catalog 2.0 has begun, and marketers are scrambling to keep up.

Catalogs today are about much more than selling products in print. They need to be compelling engagement tools that reinforce the brand, build customer relationships, stimulate desire and solve problems. A great catalog creates a "desire dance" — that stirring of interest that leads the reader deeper into the brand and down the path to a purchase.

Here's a depressing stat: About 80% of catalogs received in the mail get thrown away without so much as a peek inside the cover. So after all the planning, list segmentation, careful consideration of product mix and offers, design and costs, a vast majority of catalogs go directly to the recycle bin. Ouch.

If I were to say, “The Man in Black,” who would you think of? If you’re a music fan, chances are country legend Johnny Cash would come to mind.How can the simple mention of a color bring about associations of a specific individual? Somehow, Johnny Cash was able to elevate his image beyond just a singer/songwriter to the status of a brand.

Multichannel marketers today tend to get caught up in the frenzy of the next greatest trend. What about Web 3.0? What’s the hot social networking application?

Mailing a catalog is a considerable investment, so every single book, every page, every photograph must work hard to maintain the catalog’s goal.

Products and services. That's what we sell. As marketers, we are in the business of selling "things." But some of these products stand out because they provide the solutions to problems people need answered.

How do you survive these extraordinary times? You have to think in extraordinary terms and escape the shackles of the ordinary, everyday promises of quality, value and service. Customers have come to expect these three factors.

“Sex appeal”—it sounds so “red lights and velvet.” I think about fashionable women’s magazines and the “advice” they provide for putting forth the better you.

Consumers are breaking down the traditional walls of advertising, forcing us to revolutionize the way we talk to them. We are no longer always in control of how they interact or do business with us, as we were in the past.

Brand is king in the realm of securing customers and creating loyalty, which can save your bottom line in this down economy. Brand goes far beyond logos and taglines—it lies within your customer’s perception of your product or service. Whether you are aware of it or managing it, every point of contact with the customer defines and reinforces your brand.