SPIEGEL CATALOG

For clarity’s sake, let’s first specify what women are rationalizing: They don’t really need the shoes Spiegel wants them to buy. Needless to say, it’s audacious of an advertiser to concede this point, even in an elliptical way. But by showing it’s thinking along with women (who already know they have enough shoes to last a lifetime), the ad helps Spiegel form a rapport with its potential consumers. That’s useful for any company, of course, but it’s especially important for a catalog merchandiser.