Bergdorf Goodman's Resort Collections 2013 cover
New York department store Bergdorf Goodman featured the top tier of luxury brands in its recent magalog mailer that displayed the retailer’s collection of resort wear.
Bergdorf’s 168-page Resort Collections 2013 issue focused on women’s apparel, accessories and beauty products for the upcoming season paired with editorial content and high-fashion photo shoots. Due to its release date being in close proximity to the holiday season, luxury marketers also placed ads that may appeal to female consumers looking for a gift for men in their lives.
“Smart marketers care about engagement, and the editorial content creates value for the customer,” said John Barker, president of Barker/DZP, New York.
“Another way to look at it is, why just place ads in magazines when you can create a magazine around your ads?” he said.
Mr. Barker is not affiliated with Bergdorf Goodman, but agreed to comment as an industry expert.
Bergdorf Goodman did not respond by press deadline.
Not created equally
Essentially a catalog, Bergdorf Goodman’s latest magalog blurs the lines between fashion magazine and retail circular. This further shows that retailers can maintain attention by reinventing catalogs in interesting ways that enhance the reader’s experience.
Bergdorf Goodman’s resort magalog began with a full-page spread for Ralph Lauren’s Soft Ricky bag. Since the magalog still must maintain features of a catalog, a note in the bottom right-hand corner directs the reader to where the handbag is located within the store.
Ralph Lauren’s Soft Ricky Bag ad
Front of the book ads were placed by the leaders of the luxury sector. These ads included a two-page effort for Chanel’s Sublimage cream that explained the benefits opposite a jar of the lotion.
Chanel’s Sublimage cream ad
Clive Christian touted its women’s fragrance of the same name with a two-page spread. On the left-hand page the ad showed the fragrance bottle, while the right-hand notes that Clive Christian’s scent is “the world’s most expensive perfume.”
Clive Christian’s fragrance effort
Additional front of the book ads were placed by Balenciaga and Guerlain. Hermès’s “A Sporting Life” campaign was seen opposite the table of contents.
Guerlain’s L‘Eau du Parfum 68 ad
Although geared toward a female reader, the magalog included two separate ad efforts from Tom Ford. The first promotes its men’s grooming collection while the second showcases its oud fragrance line with a sample of Tom Ford’s Oud Wood.
Tom Ford Oud Wood fragrance sample
Fragrances were well-represented in the magalog with efforts for Elie Saab’s Eau de Parfum Intense, Dior’s La Collection Privée with notes of jasmine, ylang-ylang and sandalwood, Chantecaille’s Frangipane and Creed’s Love in White.
Dior Grand Bal fragrance ad
Featured content in the issue included items on the BG Radar with themes such as Urban Safari and The Vivids. The items featured included apparel, accessories and personal care items available at Bergdorf Goodman.
In addition, the magalog included short interviews with Bergdorf’s “resident experts” and an interview with U.S. designer and Balenciaga creative director Alexander Wang. The issue’s six shoppable fashion spreads showed various selections of resort collections such as apparel, handbags, footwear and jewelry.
Catalogs reborn
Engagement through content rather than a straight-forward call to purchase can create a catalog that holds readers’ attention by feeling more like a mass-market publication.
Furthermore, as brands and retailers continue to lean toward digital-only initiatives to share merchandise with consumers, the role of direct mail catalogs has changed but is not dwindling.
The traditional print catalog has evolved to extend to digital replicas and promote in-store experiences alongside the regular fare of lavish designer collections. Although rooted in the past, catalogs still have the ability to grab the attention of consumers on a personal and sustained level that digital still has not attained (see story).
For example, Bergdorf Goodman strengthened its standing among luxury retailers with a magalog mailer that displayed its vast offering of fall fashion collections.
The 325-page double issue featured both men’s and women’s collections along with editorial content, advertising space and multiple fashion spreads artfully displaying the collections.The dual-focus magalog allowed the retailer to simultaneously appeal to both male and female consumers in an engaging way (see story).
Content marketing allows catalogs to remain relevant while holding the attention of readers.
“Bergdorf’s magalog is a terrific example of emerging trends in content marketing, which rewards consumers for their attention,” Mr. Barker said. “It’s a customer-centric evolution of old school marketing, which just interrupts the user.”
Final Take
Jen King, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York