4 ms·

Isn't this just The J. Peterman story re-told? http://37signals.com/svn/posts/1677-j-peterman-selling-stories-not-just-products http://37signals.com/svn/posts/1

Isn't this just The J. Peterman story re-told? http://37signals.com/svn/posts/1677-j-peterman-selling-stories-not-just-products http://37signals.com/svn/posts/1677-j-peterman-selling-stori... Yes, putting nice, long-form copy around regular objects will get them to sell better. I'm pretty sure this phenomenon has been around for a long, long time. The big thing is a) you can't lie (like some of those stories do) and b) coming up with a consistent voice and narrative is actually quite difficult. (Disclaimer: I used to be the CTO of J. Peterman)

gphil 13y ago
coming up with a consistent voice and narrative is actually quite difficult. Yep, especially so for a startup who is still figuring out their place in the world. This is something that we constantly struggle with, and there's no solution other than putting in the effort to keep rebuilding your narrative as your audience changes.
larrys 13y ago
I remember this from back in the Sharper Image catalog which predates (according to my quick check) J Peterman. In any case I'm almost certain that the original Sears Roebuck catalog did a version of this as well.