Did you ever hear that old analogy about a brochure being a "salesman on paper?" Nowadays we'd say "salesperson," of course, but it's still the same role a good brochure or catalog plays in the marketing communications mix. This is the place to expand on the sales propositions you only skim the surface of in advertising, to articulate your best arguments why the prospect should buy your product over any other. It's a place to solidify and extend your position, to shape the perceptions your prospects will have about your products and company. And it's a wonderful opportunity to communicate with someone who's already interested in your products, in an environment free of outside influences. We know a lot of ad agencies - indeed, a lot of marketing people in general - who think of the brochure or catalog as a second-rate communications vehicle, not deserving top-level attention. We are not among them. Nothing Takes to Water Like Horizon... We have produced the catalogs for Standard Communications Marine Products Division for many years. The marketing communications strategy we have pursued on Standard's behalf was to tout the catalog in all the advertising to maximize inquiries. Our reasoning was that putting a well-written, persuasive catalog in the hands of someone who has already said they are interested in owning the product (or one like it) was an unparalleled opportunity to cross-sell the whole product line. As we produce them, Standard's catalog is also the place where we expand on the quality story, and use their "Watertight Warranty" to position both products and company as solid and forthright.