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Tactics Views


What initially strikes me with the first spread


(right) is the vast amount of information that is being communicated. It is difficult to know where to look first. The most important information at this stage is the welcome letter. This is NCT’s chance to get across more information on the charity and how shopping from this catalogue can help its cause. As I found out on the website, all profits from this catalogue go to the charity. This is a really strong message that should be clear to the consumer. It could even be a cover statement. The intro pages should also emphasise the


helpful tips and advice provided throughout the catalogue and how more advice can be found on the website. The green band, although visually pleasing, draws your eye away from the welcome letter. I would suggest running the green tint down the left-hand page and devoting the whole page to the charity, the work done and the benefits delivered. This would clarify exactly what NCT stands for and the importance of it. There are too many logos on the page;


to avoid clutter, only one logo is required. Also, the message top left is fighting with the welcome statement. This is more of a sign-off message and would work better at the bottom of the page. Page 3 should focus on the products. In


this case the contents section is clear and well presented down the right-hand side. An alternative would be to expand on the contents and have a best-seller per section. The easy ways to order could be shown across the base of the full spread to make room. The enewsletter has too much prominence


on this page, this page is about enticing people into the catalogue and needs to focus on that to


NCT repeats this layout throughout— don’t be afraid to break the mould


engage the consumer. Consumers will only sign up for emails once they have an understanding of the products and benefits offered.


It’s all about the product The page density is quite high and the


catalogue would benefit hugely from a few extra pages to allow breathing space. In reality, however, we know this is not always possible. In that instance look at your copy, is all the copy necessary? Can it be reduced? Are people going to read it all? It is important to get your layouts to flow.


They need a good balance of copy and images across the spread and hero products need to be positioned carefully to allow this. Clean lines and tidy information is crucial as they make a busy catalogue easier to read. Perhaps dividing key lines between each product would help?


Too much information can overwhelm the consumer and clutter the page


Although a consistent layout helps the


consumer get familiar with the positioning of information and tips, it can get too repetitive. Don’t be afraid of breaking the grid. The product is priority and the layouts need to work for the product rather than product being forced into a layout. Having two or three layout options available gives variety to the catalogue, keeps customers’ interest, yet still provides a template to work from.


The information provided down the left-


hand side of each spread is useful, albeit a little copy-heavy. The section headers, such as “Pregnancy 1st - 2nd Trimester” on page 4, are a little lost on the spread. This should have much more prominence on the page as it is this that people will relate to and this will entice them to read the advice. Also, the catalogue would benefit if the calls to action at the base of the spread were strengthened, for example, changing it from the telephone number and web address to something along the lines of “For our full range of products visit www.nctshop.co.uk or Order now on 0845 8100 100”. Further, the left- hand page sign-off could potentially be a NCT message such as “Your NCT purchase helps benefit parents across the UK every day.” Moving to the back page, the space is used


well as a selling page and clearly gets across a range of products. I wouldn’t suggest changing it. Overall a great catalogue, but a few simple tweaks and “tricks of the trade” could help to make it a much more effective selling tool.


Catherine Leigh is senior account manager at Refinery Marketing Communications.


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