What does it take to produce a 100-page catalog? Right at the top of the list is teamwork. Come along for an introduction to the team-members who played a role.
Merv Esh is the owner of Windy Valley Woodworks, the company that manufactures Finch Outdoor Furniture. Since his company has been blessed with a growing network of dealers, he decided it was time to take the company’s marketing to the next level. Merv and Roy (Rosewood Marketing Consultant) discussed various possibilities. The end result was lifestyle photography in real waterfront settings, a refresh of the brand styling and a 5½”-square catalog with a soft-touch cover. Its perfect-bound (glued) spine and the heft of its 100 pages (up from 32) should make it more “trash-can resistant.”
The photography was scheduled for December. Where could we take waterfront pictures in December without them looking like December? The beach! Why the beach? Lots of water and few dead plants. Liz and Eddie Hammond, the wonderful proprietors of Finch dealer Bethany Sea Crest, found two splendid waterfront locations in their neighborhood of Bethany Beach, DE. Not only did Eddie make the arrangements, but he also lent a hand during the photoshoot. (That’s Eddie manning the rake.)
With 15 furniture settings to shoot at a location several hours away, everything needed to be planned in advance. Twila (Rosewood Prop Stylist) and Adrian (Rosewood Photographer) brainstormed a vision for each setting. Then Jeneva Beiler (Interior Designer at Finch dealer Leaman Interiors) used those concepts to choose the poly and fabric colors for each piece of furniture. Then with unstoppable energy, she acquired a mountain of styling props for each set.
The highlight? The two-day photo shoot in Bethany Beach. What did it take? Two photographers, a minivan of gear, two furniture movers, one stylist, a 20-foot furniture trailer packed to the gills, hamburgers, water, and lots of elbow grease. In the middle of a rainy spell, we were blessed with two days of beautiful weather. Doesn’t this look like fun? (see slideshow) Merv topped it off with a wonderful dinner out for everyone involved. Thank you, Merv! Seafood never tasted so good!
But the work wasn’t over yet. Hundreds of pictures needed to be sorted out to find the best shots. The catalog needed to be redesigned, for which Gary Hurst (Rosewood Designer) gets the credit. The logo and color scheme were updated. And finally the catalog was printed and is now being distributed at a dealer near you!
Such a major shift in branding required that the whole marketing package be updated to the new theme. Following the catalog, we designed new ad artwork, price sheets, warranty and care guides, nameplates, business cards, letterheads, and envelopes. For the Keystone Wholesale Show, Merv needed a new banner, name-tags, and table tents. And of course the website needed to be updated with the new pictures and updated brand theme.
Why not find a dealer and see the attention Finch puts on good design, aesthetic details, and structural quality for yourself. Then when you are ready to buy, use the Designer Colors guide starting at page 76 of this catalog to choose your color theme.
Merv says, “Our catalogs were very well received by our dealers!” Open this pdf to see a sampling of pages from the 2015 Finch catalog.