Legal Marketing & PR

Does Your Firm Have a Marketing Cop?

By Tom Kane

If it doesn't, it needs one. I've enjoyed Patrick Lamb's posts over the years at In Search of Perfect Client Service; and have been remiss in not linking to them more recently. He had a post last month that I missed at the time, but I'm glad I ran across it.

Patrick states that for marketing to be effective it must both have a point, and not insult its audience. He cites an example of a national accounting firm's NPR 'ad" proclaiming that they "are dedicated to providing our clients with thoughtful answers." (Emphasis mine) Is there another kind? Or as Patrick puts it "is there some large cadre of accounting firms that provide thoughtless answers?"

So the question is, what is their point? If it isn't obvious, it's likely a waste of money. Further, statements like these really can insult the listener or viewer. Thus, the need for a "quality control element to everything a firm does to present itself to the public."

A marketing cop (a.k.a. marketing director or CMO) needs to ensure that the messages going out to the world are neither pointless nor insulting. 

Full post as published by Legal Marketing Blog on July 14, 2009 (boomark / email).