Massive entries tipped for 2009 Catalogue Awards

700 entries are expected to enter in this year’s Catalogue Awards.

Held on 21 August at The Atlantic in the Docklands, Melbourne, the event has 34 major awards including the Catalogue Agency of the Year and the Effectiveness Award.

Judging will take place in both Sydney and Melbourne during May and consists of six panels of 40 judges across advertising agencies and retailers. Each entry will be critically assessed by up to eight judges, who will score the elements such as cover impact, photography, merchandising, styling, branding, design, layout, copywriting and selling power.

Chris Lee-Brown, (pictured) chief executive officer of Australia Catalogue Association, believes that catalogues outweigh all other media options in terms of cost effectiveness and popularity with retailers and consumers.

“Should catalogue advertising be measured fairly against mainstream consumer media and not as direct marketing, it would be acknowledged as the number three area of expenditure in Australia after press and TV, and more than twice the size of radio,” he said.

Lee-Brown also cited that catalogue numbers delivered to households for the calendar year 2008 increase by four per cent, highlighting resilience towards economic pressures.

Entries for this year’s awards open on 1 March and close at the end of April. For more information see www.catalogue.asn.au/awards/