Press ads and TV or Radio commercials are very much replacements for Sales Representatives and are attempting to do exactly the same job - sell the product, persuade someone to visit a shop, or call a telephone number (as it would be rather difficult to have a million Sales Reps knock on doors all on the same day).

However, a Brochure is a slightly different animal.

A Brochure again replaces the Sales Rep, but also the Shop, The Showroom or the The Boardroom Presentation - it has to portray the products or brand in exactly the way that the advertiser wishes to be perceived (high end, luxury, good value, trustworthy etc.) and it has to do all of this without the benefit of a Salesperson standing by to help the 'sell' or to answer questions.

A Brochure must have an excellent front cover (attractive, warm, professional) and has the same role as the Shop Window which can attract or detract the audience, with "shall I go in" or "this looks drab!". The front cover is the equivalent of the Press ad headline (it's there to grab attention) and also portrays the brand's perceived characteristics (i.e. luxurious furniture, vast range, great value etc.).

A Brochure is, with the exception of leaflets, the only item of advertising that is left with a prospective customer, laying there on a coffee table, without a salesperson to help sell the product. If the Brochure is poorly produced it simply won't succeed - in fact it may actually do the opposite and persuade the reader 'not to buy'.

A Brochure also has the important advantage of being, as with leaflets, an advertising item that the prospective customer has 'approached' themselves (as opposed to other advertising media and Sales Reps who 'approach' the customer) so the Sales Rep is metaphorically through the door and sitting on the sofa. Most Brochures have been requested, either by phone, web or from shops & exhibitions, and this means that the nature, content and style is very different than that it is in all other advertising.

A Brochure must be very easy to find your way around (as there's no-one to help you do it) with aesthetically pleasing layout and typography, well-crafted copy and simple pagination.

A Brochure must have clear Call to Action information, if necessary on every main spread. The very next action that a prospective customer has to make is perhaps call that Freephone number (a massive next step towards a sale) and it must be as easy and as inviting as possible.

Finally, a couple of somewhat disturbing facts. Brochures can be expensive to produce (perhaps £10 each) and traditionally have less than 1% conversion success (which may still be great!)

SO THEY DEMAND A GREAT DEAL OF ATTENTION!