Marketing – Essendant Web & Catalog Content Streams 2019-2020

Catalog and Web content can differ regarding product design, look, features and overall message to accommodate rolling updates.

Selling Points, Medium Selling Copy and Item-Level Images flow to the web during the subsequent month’s online syndication (expect a three to six week turnaround, depending on the timing of the update).

Short Selling Copy and SKU Group-Level Images flow into the subsequent year’s catalogs (2020 catalogs are in production between March 2019 and November 2019).

Note: Please do not include Extended Attribute data (Product Specs) or General Attribute data (Green/Recycled info, Warranty info, Package Includes statements, etc.) in Selling Points or Selling Copy. All copy components must hold true for all items within a specific Group, and Essendant wishes to keep redundancies to a minimum.

Web Syndication

1. Item-Level Main & Alt Images
   • The Item-Level Main image is your primary web image, the image a customer will see when they select your item. (This image should be clean, the product alone photographed against a white background, without iconography.)
   • The Item-Level Alt images are your secondary, scroll-through web images. (These images can be alt-angle, in-use, in-environment, with iconography, etc.)
2. Selling Points 1-10 (bullet points)
   • Selling Points are formatted sentence case (with ending periods). There is no hard and fast rule, but keeping each bullet point to about 120 characters (including spaces) may be wise. The average person should be able to read a bullet at a glance.
   • Selling Points do not have to be complete sentences. Fragments (incomplete phrases and clauses) are not only acceptable but preferred. (But, all Selling Points, fragments or sentences, do require ending periods.)
3. Medium Selling Copy
   • Medium Copy is formatted sentence case to AP Style, and it should read exactly as you would like to see your copy appear on the web during 2019.
   • Space is not a concern, but ideally, this paragraph should not incorporate more than six-to-ten sales/marketing points. Keep in mind that though the average consumer may be interested enough to read more on the web, they may not be prepared to read more than one might find in an average-length paragraph.

Catalogs

1. SKU Group Images
   • The SKU Group Main image is your default catalog image. (This image should be clean, the product alone photographed against a white background, without iconography.)
   • The SKU Group Alt image is available to account for wide product assortments, accommodate catalog-to-catalog display preferences, show close-up details (overlays or inserts), etc.
2. Short Selling Copy
   • Short Copy is formatted sentence case to AP Style, and it should read exactly as you would like to see your copy appear in a catalog or flier during 2020.
   • As a catalog listing always begins with the SKU Group Name (Product Name), please do not include your Brand or Product Name this copy block.
   • Space is a concern. A good rule to follow for Short Copy is to develop your most important selling points into one to three sentences. There is no hard and fast rule, but for most product categories, Short Copy does not exceed 250 characters (including spaces).