Learning from the Movies

Learning from the Movies

BY KATIE MULDOON

What does a catalog have in common with a movie? Lots, actually. But only if it's done right.

First off, to succeed in a highly competitive environment, a catalog must be memorably entertaining. Films have shown us how to engage an audience and hold its attention until the story is complete — exactly what smart marketing is all about. With that in mind, there are three cinematic techniques we need to look at to understand how they can be translated to our medium.

* Visual appeal

We sometimes forget that catalogs are a visual medium, just like movies. One instantly recognizable method is dramatic use of color. Two movies — the recent “Hero” (directed by Zhang Yimou) and the older “Dick Tracy” (directed by Warren Beatty) — used color to accent the story.

In “Hero,” objects and garments take on the color of the tone or emotion in progress. In “Dick Tracy,” rich color effectively transforms the live action film into the cartoon from which it originated.

Another form of visual appeal comes from evoking an overall feeling. Not too long ago, The New York Times noted that, even though “Girl With a Pearl Earring” had a “slim story,” the “painterly images evoked a masterpiece.”

Catalogers might use color to denote a change in book sections, and locations to create ambiance. But that's about it. Color and locations need to do more than just say you're in another part of the catalog or romping in the sand. Add depth and a reason-to-be for the choices. The use of colors in “Hero” conveyed a mood, each one underlining a message of hope, hate or revenge.

Achieving a visually striking appearance can be as simple as a logical progression of images or themes throughout the book — a seamless story that explains not just what's for sale, but what the catalog is all about. The idea is to direct the customer rationally and attractively from one product type and style to another, but too many books mix products in a manner that doesn't create a cohesive visual representation.

There was a time when customers wanted product presentation to be less organized. Now time is more valuable and competition more intense. A visually striking catalog can help customers see items that naturally belong together. That's good for multiple sales. It also lets you lay out your book so readers can easily relocate a product they saw on the first flip through.

* Storytelling

Stories don't have to be linear (think the film “Memento”), but they must have rhythm. Movies almost always use an arc: The story starts slowly, builds to its peak, then gradually descends to its finale. Not unlike pacing in a catalog.

Some catalogers put the most exciting stuff up front. This really isn't different from the film that has you on the edge of your seat before the title even comes up. It works because it grips you. But a customer will stay on board only if the story continues to enthrall.

At this point, both catalog and movie need to ease into the traditional storytelling arc — in other words, not in a straight line up and down. To revive faltering attention spans, add bits of excitement from time to time.

A few years back, Taster's Choice had consumers hooked on its soap opera-style TV commercials. Even before this romance began to brew (with the help of the right coffee), my agency created a catalog with copy and product reminiscent of a Harlequin Romance novel. The launch book came within a hair's breadth of breaking even and the client received three marriage proposals.

Consumers like to get involved in a story, but not a static one. Tales must be constantly freshened and even changed completely to keep customers interested.

* New experiences

The need for new experiences requires more updating than catalog budgets allow. Valerie Accary, managing director for multinational clients at BBDO Europe, told The Financial Times that a recent study of young people indicated they wanted brands that “give them new experiences all the time.”

Moviemakers know this by upping the ante even in sequels. If it's a chase scene that attracted, the next version will be faster with more cars doing more bizarre stuff, like the expressway battle in the latest “Terminator” movie. The point of a sequel (which could be compared with a catalog campaign) is the continuation of a theme, but with something eye-catchingly different or unexpected.

“Star Wars” was one of the great films of all time, but “The Empire Strikes Back” was even better because it had the surprise of an unexpected sister and evil father. What you don't want your catalog to resemble in the cinematic realm is a Rocky Balboa type, numbingly similar in movie after movie.

Think it's farfetched to say a catalog should raise the excitement from issue to issue? Really? What other reason is a consumer going to look at your catalog? Oh, I know, a sale…just like every other catalog in the mail. Right.

Want another example? Start paying more attention to the “short movies” that are now being used as a major advertising medium. They, like catalogs, have to get a message across in just minutes.

Trailers shown in theaters usually are only a few minutes long, but these newer short takes have been produced by BMW (the first to start the trend), American Express, Mercedes and Chanel No. 5. While the first of the shorties used famous directors like John Frankenheimer, Chanel has upped the ante even more by hiring Nicole Kidman to star in its mini-movie.

So the next time you're at the theater or watching a rented video or a shortie, look for ideas to steal. Then start adapting them to create a really entertaining catalog.