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Est. 1991 – Catalog Strategy & Direct Mail Creative

Thirty years of turning
print into profit.

You've invested in print. We make it perform. Three decades of catalog strategy, offer economics, and direct mail creative — built to generate measurable returns for established mailers and brands launching their first direct mail program.

30+
Years of Experience
50+
Brands Served
Brand Strategy· Catalog Strategy· Creative Direction· Direct Mail· Catalog Production· Press Management· Paper Selection· Customer Data· Vendor Management· Campaign Planning· Brand Strategy· Catalog Strategy· Creative Direction· Direct Mail· Catalog Production· Press Management· Paper Selection· Customer Data· Vendor Management· Campaign Planning·
Brands We've Worked With
Client logos Client logos Client logos Client logos
What We Do

Full-service strategy
and creative thinking,
applied where it counts.

For most of our clients, we don't just advise—we do. From brand positioning and customer data strategy to creative direction and press management, every engagement is hands-on with senior-level strategists, designers, and production staff.

01

Catalog Strategy & Direct Mail

We start with deep research into your customers — who they are, what they buy, when and why — and then we create a direct marketing strategy built on that foundation. We look at every channel: email, social, SMS, catalogs, postcards, mini lookbooks. If it can get a response, we're studying it, testing it, and maximizing it.

Brand Audits Market Analysis Catalog Strategy Channel Planning
02

Creative Direction & Production

From art direction and copywriting to photography, prepress, and vendor management — we guide the full creative and production process. With close relationships across photographers, writers, printers, paper distributors, and prepress vendors, we save clients time and money without sacrificing quality.

Art Direction Copywriting Photography Vendor Management
03

Customer Data & Reactivation

How do you turn single buyers into multi-buyers? Minnows into whales? We dig into your database — purchase history, frequency, recency, spend — and build segmentation strategies that reward your best buyers and reactivate the ones who've gone quiet. The real money is in the list you already have.

Data Analysis Segmentation Reactivation Loyalty Strategy
04

Process, Team & Efficiency Consulting

We evaluate your team, meet with each person, and rebuild workflows so everyone is doing exactly what they do best. The result: faster production cycles, fewer costly mistakes, and a team that's energized rather than overwhelmed — all without adding headcount.

Team Audits Workflow Design Process Optimization
The Brutal Truth About Direct Marketing Today

Let’s face it. Direct marketing isn’t what it used to be. Paper is expensive. Postage is through the roof. Response rates aren’t what they once were.

Does that mean catalogs are dead? Not a chance. They still work — but only if you’re smart about how you use them.

We don’t walk into every client relationship saying “you need a catalog.” That would be lazy. Instead, we look at every weapon in the arsenal — postcards, email, social, video, mini lookbooks, shared mailers. If it can get a response, we’re studying it.

And when we sit down with a client, the first thing we do is get into the numbers. What’s working… and what’s bleeding you dry.

How We Work

Four moves that change
how your marketing performs.

01

Deep Dive

We dig into your numbers — who you're mailing, how often, at what cost, with what results. If you're bleeding money anywhere, we find it in week one.

02

Strategy Build

We develop a direct marketing roadmap tailored to your brand — channels, cadence, creative direction, vendor recommendations, and a budget that ties to outcomes.

03

Execution & Oversight

Your campaigns never get handed off and forgotten. We stay hands-on through creative production, press checks, and deployment — protecting quality at every step.

04

Measure & Optimize

Post-campaign analytics, attribution, and honest performance reviews. We tell you what worked, what didn't, and exactly what to do differently next time.

What Clients Say 1 / 4
Rick Ragusa
VP Ecommerce
Pendleton Woolen Mills
“Rick’s deep knowledge of the entire strategic, creative, and production process was both comforting and reassuring to our team. He made great suggestions that allowed us to work more efficiently, saving us time, effort, worry, and even thousands of dollars. He obviously takes great pride in his work and we definitely consider him our ‘Trusted Advisor.’”
Wayne Schuurman
Founder & CEO
Audio Advisor
“When our long-time catalog designer decided to retire, we reached out to Binger to keep us on track. Rick brought us into the 21st Century with a new logo, a new catalog design, an online proofing system, and a more efficient process — saving us time, making our internal workflow smoother, and improving the catalog’s performance significantly. We completely trust Rick and his team to get our catalogs done on time, and on budget, every month.”
Chris Herrod
VP Marketing
Luthiers Mercantile International
“Ours is a very specialized company with a unique, niche customer base. Binger worked hard to get to know us, our customers, our culture, and our product line — and they did so with professionalism and enthusiasm. They put together a talented team to address our branding and strategic needs and we couldn’t be happier with the results!”
Jane Campbell
CEO
Montessori Services / For Small Hands
“Many thanks again for all your help and expertise with the redesign of our ‘For Small Hands’ catalog. It certainly seems to have done the trick. We had a fantastic season!”
Selected Client Roster

Brands we’ve helped
launch, grow, and thrive.

52+
About
Rick Binger — Founder & Creative Director
About

Rick Binger —
Founder &
Creative Director

I didn’t take the usual path to running a direct marketing agency. I grew up bouncing between the San Francisco Bay Area, Zurich, and Brussels — and maybe that’s why I’ve always been curious about different cultures and how people across the globe think, what they buy, and why.

After studying graphic design at California College of the Arts, I cut my teeth at Pentagram in San Francisco — where I realized something that would shape my entire career: great creative is worthless if it doesn’t move the needle.

“Great creative is worthless if it doesn’t move the needle — that’s when I realized the power of blending design with data, art with results.”

By 1991, I launched my own agency. Along the way, I co-founded Catalog Spree — the app that brought 350+ digital catalogs to tablets and mobile phones, years before mobile-first was a thing. I’ve also served as Director of Creative at Gump’s and led creative teams at SysIQ and CohereOne.

Since 2018, I’ve focused exclusively on catalog and direct mail brands — bringing smarter strategy, stronger creative, and print programs built to generate a measurable return.

These days I call Asheville, North Carolina home. Living here in the mountains, the natural beauty, the creativity, the food and music scenes, and the temperate climate all combine to remind me how important a balanced life is — and how much better the work gets when you’re living one.

California College
of the Arts
Pentagram
San Francisco
Gump's
Director of Creative
Catalog Spree
Co-Founder
CohereOne
VP, Creative
Who We Work With

We don’t work
with everybody.
That’s by design.

Our wheelhouse is established catalog and direct mail brands doing $5M to $50M+ a year — companies with existing programs, known customer files, and print history we can build on. That’s where we move the needle.

We are not an order-taker agency. We think, we strategize, we tell you the truth even when it stings — then we hand you a plan that multiplies the value of every dollar you put into print.

Our engagements typically start with a one-year commitment. In twelve months we’ll transform your marketing — or you’ll never want to work with another advisor again.

If you’re under $5M but ready to scale, reach out. We’ve made exceptions. We also occasionally work with brands launching their first direct mail program — if you’re serious about making print a core part of your strategy, we want to hear from you.

Limited Creative Engagements Available

Each year we take on only three to four clients for full creative work — catalogs, direct mail concepts, design, art direction. When those slots are gone, they don't reopen until the following year.

Check Availability →

Ready to turn your next
mailing into measurable profit?

We read every message and respond personally. If you're thinking about working together — or just want to talk strategy — reach out. We're good listeners.

Looking for catalog press check services? Visit The Press Whisperer →

Email:
Press Whisperer:

Binger, LLC
PO Box 17531
Asheville, NC 28816