Abstract

The role of the catalog in retail advertising remains important, even as advertising is gradually shifting to digital formats. The overarching objective of this study is to synthesize current practices in supermarket catalogs, identify key trends in content, composition, format, and layout, and compare results across countries. This paper investigates the content of 39 catalogs from 13 supermarket chains in five countries (Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States). The coding scheme and variables are based on main design elements in print advertising to examine the catalogs objectively. The results show that catalogs are not merely a media to advertise temporary price reductions, but they have evolved into a media tool to promote supermarkets’ product range, including full-price products. This study applies findings from print media to the supermarket catalog sector and provides a quantitative benchmark for typical content, composition, format, and layout, comparing results across countries.

摘要

目录在零售广告中的作用仍然很重要，即使广告正逐渐转向数字格式。本研究的总体目标是综合超市目录的当前做法，确定内容、组成、格式和布局方面的主要趋势，并比较各国的结果。本文调查了来自五个国家（澳大利亚、马来西亚、新西兰、南非和美国）的 13 个连锁超市的 39 个目录的内容。编码方案和变量基于印刷广告中的主要设计元素，以客观地检查目录。结果表明，商品目录不仅仅是宣传临时降价的媒体，而且已经演变成一种宣传超市产品范围（包括全价产品）的媒体工具。