Redefining the Catalog
The Toys ‘R Us holiday catalog just came out, and these folks are not playing around.
Last week saw the unveiling of the toy giant’s 2015 catalog, and to use their word, it is awesome. Not because it’s brilliant and engaging and forward thinking and really, really fun It’s all of those things. But The Great Big Toys ‘R Us Book of Awesome also represents the redefinition of catalog marketing, and to a large extent, the continuing evolution of retail marketing itself.
It’s hard to imagine that the mail-order catalog was once considered a bold, new idea. Tiffany created America’s first in1845, and Montgomery Ward perfected the model in 1892, distributing a 540-page illustrated catalog. But it is the Sears Wishbook, the first stand-alone Christmas catalog, that is most fondly remembered. From 1933 to the early 2000s, the Wishbook was anticipated, poured over, dissected, marked up and dog-eared by kids preparing their lists for Santa.
The iconic publication reappeared in 2007 in a smaller, scaled-down format, and in 2010, the Wishbook found a home online.
Why the history lesson? I think it demonstrates the trajectory of the catalog as a marketing vehicle, and, more important, serves as an object lesson for retail marketers. This classic tactic was re-thought and re-invented in response to the shifting needs and desires of the shopper.
Those needs and desires continue to shift today, and retail marketers must not just listen, but anticipate and innovate as well. Enter The Great Big Toys ‘R Us Book of Awesome. More than simply digitally interactive, the catalog speaks to shoppers on an emotional level. It tells a story. It allows the shopper to choose an ideal and personalized experience. It drives conversation, encourages participation and takes engagement to a new place (which is wherever the shopper wants it to be).
Toys ‘R Us has changed the meaning of the word “catalog,” recasting it for a new generation of smart, demanding, experience-seeking shoppers. I’ve written before about how the language of retail marketing must evolve and how marketers are now mandated to give traditional terms (like “signage” and “display”) new meaning and new execution. To that end, here are 47 things a catalog can also be:
- Treasure Map
- Pinterest Page
- Cookbook
- Lifestyle Magazine
- How-to Manual
- Diary
- Playground
- Family Album
- Inspiration Piece
- Advice Column
- Yearbook
- Community Gathering Spot
- Photo Contest
- Photo Exhibit
- Content Generator
- Passport
- Front Row Seat
- Romance Novel
- Tutorial
- Cooking Lesson
- Fashion Show
- Ordering Mechanism
- Daily Devotion
- Storybook
- Salon
- Audience with a Style Expert
- Virtual Vacation
- Newspaper
- Almanac
- Celebrity Tell-All
- Advent Calendar
- To-Do List
- Nature Walk
- Consultation
- Survey
- Menu
- Web Series
- Runway
- Maze
- Creative Outlet
- Manifesto
- Game of Chance
- Dressing Room
- Make-Up Mirror
- Scavenger Hunt
- Testimonial
- Progress Tracker