From simple beginnings GLI's CD catalog evolved into a comprehensive and Complete library of company sales literature.

The CD evolved in response to economics, but also in response to feedback from company representatives and customers.

GLI's CD contained:

A 200-page catalog

Eighty Manuals

A Library of Application Notes & Technical Bulletins

Web Links

For GLI's Reps, the CD had:

A library of electronic images small enough to e-mail and still publication quality: h image existed in two forms.

The CD was self-starting and required no additional software.

The CD was user updateable through a web link, providing GLI with updated contact information.

The CD was controlled In-house, and updated annually.

It reached more customers at with reduced cost.

Annual revisions enabled addition of new documents. New features were added with each revision. Over time, annual revisions resulted in simplified navigation, addition of manuals, and links to GLI’s web site.

GLI's CD-ROM catalog was developed using Adobe Acrobat. Saving all of GLI's key documents as PDF files made it possible to link them together through menus and to create a self-initializing disc.

But producing GLI's CD took much more than a collection of PDF files.

First, a budget and production schedule were developed. Outsourced production services were quoted. A cover design and printing costs were also taken into account.

Careful planning and scheduling were required to assure that the CD contained no broken links, and that it accurately mirrored the company's 200-page printed catalog.

Menu pages and product comparison matrices were designed to facilitate navigation.

The CD was self-starting and required no software installation. No special knowledge was needed to run the CD.

The CD contained a complete 200 page product catalog, but that wasn't all. The CD also contained a library of Application Notes and Technical Bulletins.

The CD was controlled In-house, and updated annually.

GLI's CD ROM Catalog significantly reduced the company's marketing costs.

Since the primary sales-support document was a three-ring bound catalog that weighed three pounds, the cost of producing one catalog was approximately $17.00. Adding postage brought the overall cost to over 20 dollars per prospect, with peak distribution exceeding 1000 catalogs per month.

Since literature costs represented a large portion of the Marketing budget, reducing this expense was a major innitiative.

At 77 cents each, GLI's CD was a huge success.

Since the CD was less expensive to produce, it could be distributed to a larger market. Unlike the Catalog, the CD also functioned as a stand-alone self-mailer.

The CD reached more customers and informed them better, with reduced cost.

• GLI's CD Catalog was designed with multiple navigation schemes.

“Bookmarks” enabled those familiar with the product line to jump directly to the desired information.

• TABs imitate the tabs in GLI’s product catalog, and the categories are the same. Each tab links to a product comparison matrix where the user can browse to a product by isolating the features they want.