IN 2007, Morisons Solicitors decided the changing face of the legal market offered a challenge it would be foolish to ignore. We were in a crowded market where few firms are truly differentiated. Despite continued growth and success, this was no time to rest on our laurels.
We embarked on a rebranding. Any illusions that such an exercise might just mean a new logo were quickly dismissed. In fact, to us, rebranding is simply a convenient label for a major change-management exercise.
We first commissioned a research pr
oject to get to the truth about how we are seen and find the clues to how we can stand out in the marketplace. The research gave us insight into how we operated and what we stood for. It was conducted independently by Brand Vista and covered clients, prospective clients, our own people and a range of industry commentators.
The findings were balanced, encouraging, but also hard-hitting. They told us a few brutal truths about things that needed to change. Most firms who have little market presence will be seen as traditional – it's almost a default position. Our research had to dig deeper to help us change perceptions, and also change our approaches.
These "golden keys" were essential to the rebranding. They meant we could begin to differentiate ourselves not on the things we thought were strengths, but those recognised by our clients. It also confirmed the rebranding exercise was more about internal commitment than external design. The new brand position is based on solid findings. It builds on our strengths, but challenges us to work in different ways.
The research findings are the cornerstone of everything we do. We have initiated projects to look at how we capture and respond to client needs and communicate and work with one another at every level.
We have looked at other industries to see how best practice can be integrated into our approaches. We have focused on how to put the client at the heart of our work processes, and each project is driven by this theme.
We do need to raise our profile and be more visible, but before any work started on our external face, we worked as a team to define internally our positioning, brand values and the personality our brand should represent. The research was the catalyst and source for getting this right.
We pride ourselves on being one of the few firms to take each member of staff through a branding workshop – not only to explain the concept of a brand in simple language, but also engage our people in how the brand is delivered from the inside out. Our people know our brand is not a product of marketing – it is the product of the 1,000 small gestures that we make every day and at every point of contact with our clients.
We are so committed to this approach that small teams from across the business are about to commence a series of brand walkthroughs, critically examining all our processes to identify and sort out any areas where the brand "leaks". Only by doing this can we be sure that our promise to our clients will consistently be matched by the service they actually receive.
The final piece of the jigsaw is the external face. This needed to signal change, offer longevity, be distinctive and above all be "unstuffy". With a dramatic use of colour, a distinctive logo, and the use of straight-talking language we believe our designers at Nevis have more than achieved this in a new bold corporate identity.
We believe our new outward face will really stand out from the crowd but we know that the power of the brand is built from within.
Without thorough research and a change-management approach the impact of our new identity will be lost.
• Julian Osborne is chairman of Morisons Solicitors.
The full article contains 658 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
