Catalogue awards celebrate 20 years in print

Members of the retail, advertising and marketing community will gather for the 20th annual Australian Catalogue Awards on 12 August at Melbourne’s Docklands to recognise the ongoing effectiveness of printed advertising.

Ken Bishop, CEO of the ACA (Australian Catalogue Association) says despite what has been a challenging year for retail, catalogues remain an integral part of the marketing mix for some of Australia’s most well-known retailers. With over “700 entries this year and a very strong field.”

“The upcoming awards are all about the ongoing effectiveness of printed advertising, which is why catalogues work. They are tactile and an integral part of the broader print media landscape; certainly retailers find consumers enjoy flicking through a catalogue to do research before they go shopping.

“Despite prolonged economic uncertainty our members and their clients continue to see the benefits of investing in catalogue design and production. The longevity of this industry initiative is a testament to the importance of collectively celebrating the leaders in our field and the continued strength of our sector.”

According to ACA, around 60 per cent of total print advertising spending or $1.5 billion, is invested by Australia’s retailers in catalogues as the industry continues to experience annual growth.

“All the major web printers are strong supporters of the awards and association, some of which are major category sponsors. Catalogue printers attending the awards include AIW Printing, Cadillac Printing, and Franklin Web,” said Bishop (pictured).

Print and paper companies sponsoring the 2011 ACA Awards include:

• Hannanprint –high volume fashion category,
• PMP - retailer’s category,
• Offset Alpine Printing –retailer and marketers category
• UPM Kymmene - leisure activities category
• Stora Enso - best young designer category
• Australian Paper Web - best advertising agency category
• Fairfax Media – creative marketing category

Other ACA members who generously support the Awards program include Australia Post, Cumming Agency & Studios, Toyo Ink, Dagaz Paper, Kirby Paper, Kodak, Paper Agencies and Sappi. Australian-headquartered communication solutions provider, Salmat has been a major supporter of every catalogue award since its inception 20 years ago.

Supporting the Australian economy, the catalogue industry employs over 80,000 people in the design and production processes and a further 30,000 people to deliver catalogues at the local level.

Last year’s winners included Paddy Pallin (up to 1.5 million catalogues), Bay Leather Republic (over 1.5 million catalogues) and R.M Williams, (The People’s Choice). Vijay Logan, M&C Saatchi, won best designer of the year, while Cumming Agency and Studios won best advertising agency of the year.