Marketing collateral

Collateral systems are more encompassing than any specific brochure, direct mail piece, or Web site; each specific initiative is part of a larger, integrated, modular architecture of communication in which different vehicles work together to build awareness, foster connections, secure transactions, and advance relationships.

The architecture maps goals, function, audience, points in the sales cycle, lifespan, production value, cost, and authoring environment, and provides a rational framework to support decisions around what to make, what to use and when, and how to spend money wisely. Some pieces need to be custom-designed and printed on good stock; other pieces can, and should, be produced from templates and printed on demand.

Collateral systems provide the flexibility to combine components as needed—and to structure engagements and dialogues that deepen across time: an introductory brochure, a more detailed data sheet; applications examples on the web, a branded thank-you e-mail. While a brochure is often a better choice to generate a more emotional response; Web pages are more useful for adding specific depth.

What holds an effective collateral system together is an underlying set of shared approaches to typography, color, imagery, design, and language. This shared thinking, executed as appropriate to each medium, is what connects a Web site to an invitation, a folder to a data sheet, a brochure to a DVD package; each builds on and reinforces the value, recognition, and meaning of every other. The result: more impact for fewer dollars in less time.