Case Study:

Rising Above the Competition

Increasing market awareness and engagement in an extremely competitive region

Challenge

One of the regions largest law firms with multiple offices had a presence in the greater Detroit area, but more than two dozen other law firms have more attorneys and stronger  “local” perceptions in the immediate geographic area. The challenge was to change the perception of the firm from largely “not from around here” to that of a strong local firm with state-wide resources, essentially earning a top-of-mind position with prospects.

Action

  1. Assessed the marketplace and local resources.
  2. Hired a dedicated, local PR firm to rebuild relationships with reporters in the most important media and earn significant press coverage.
  3. Implemented an aggressive advertising and sponsorship plan consisting of
    print, digital, broadcast and outdoor.
  4. Staged events to demonstrate expertise and develop professional relationships, including educational, roundtables, client holiday gala at the Detroit Institute of Arts, co-marketing and heavy involvement with industry associations (boards, committees, panel discussions and sponsorships)
  5. Created strategic community relations plans for each office.

Result

Increased market awareness from 50 percent to 85 percent and market differentiation from 19 percent to 62 percent, as measured by third-party research (BTI Consulting) in three surveys conducted throughout six years. The most important result is that the amount of business generated in these offices increased proportionally.

Examples of strategies and tactics used in this initiative

  • Client-featured campaign in print, radio and digital
  • Events with client, prospect and referral engagement
  • Industry association participation (boards, committees and sponsorships)
  • PR featuring attorneys in though-leadership and expertise context
  • PR featuring clients and their success stories
  • Co-marketing
  • Annual client gala at the Detroit Institute of Arts
  • Contributions and engagement with local non-profits
  • Market research
  • Client Relationship Management (CRM) systems and processes