Last week in this blog, we spoke about law firm branding and
its relevancy in the information age.
But exactly what is the
firm brand? What does it really mean?
We’ve always looked at law firm branding as the outward
manifestation of the firm positioning. By
this I mean that the brand and all the logos, web sites, ads, blogs, articles
and slogans that go with it are, or at least should be, a reflection of the
essence of the firm. And by essence, I
am referring to what the firm stands for, its point of difference versus
competitors, its reason for being.
To ascertain all of this can be a difficult challenge when
different personalities, egos, and practice groups all have disparate needs for
how they want to be presented to their target markets.
For example, consider the firm with multiple practice groups
that seeks to establish a new or revised identity. The folks in the family law
group suggest that the “positioning” of the firm should revolve around a
history of showing care and compassion. “Not so,” says the head of the
corporate litigation practice group. “We need to convey that this firm is
powerful and has a ‘take no prisoners’ approach to its services.” “Wait a
minute,” says the guy from IP. “This firm should promote the fact that we are
cutting edge and utilize the latest technological resources.” Finally, the most
senior partner in the room, smiles and attempts to put closure on the debate by
stating, “This law practice has been around for over 100 years. We are well
known by just about everyone and the smartest approach is to simply tout our
longevity.”
Who is right? And where do you think this debate will
ultimately lead? Chances are that one of two things will happen. Either the
“strongest” member (be it the Managing Partner, the Senior Partner, etc.) will
dictate the positioning or, more likely, nothing will happen at all. In the
latter case, the firm will just proceed as it always has and will continue to
communicate the same disparate messages to its target markets.
How might this scenario be altered?
The key here lies in finding the underlying qualities that
tie the various individuals and practice groups together. What is it common
throughout the firm? There’s a reason why attorneys in these departments work
at this firm at this given point in time. Is it the culture of the firm? Is
there a similar approach to the practice of law or to the servicing of
clients? For example, we worked
with one law firm that after intense discussions, realized that each individual
in the firm took immense pride in finding “innovative” solutions to their
clients’ problems. Thus “innovativeness” became the positioning from which the
brand was created. In another case, the firm leveraged its knowledge and experience
in working with governmental agencies as a means for underscoring its ability
to help individuals and businesses.
In discovering the firm positioning, it is critical to
uncover that which sets the firm apart (what is it about the firm that one would
be hard-pressed to say the same thing about a competitor). Too often, firms
make the mistake of developing a “me too” positioning that does little to
enhance the firm’s standing. For
example, “Big City Know-How, but with Lower Fees” is an all too familiar
positioning employed by so many firms that work outside the city.
In short, smart law firms know who they are and then develop
the brand from that. The hard part is knowing who you are, but once that is
accomplished, the developed brand (and hence the firm) is that much stronger
for it.
This is the fourth in
a 5-part series on the business development concerns we have heard most often
by managing partners and legal marketers.
No comments:
Post a Comment