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Just desserts: legal ice cream branding

A while ago, a post here made a sweeping generalization about the branding of law firms. The point of that post was that branding is not about advertising legal services, but about the law firm approaching its clients in a way that engenders trust. This was key:
Lawyers, as a profession, will never gain the trust of the public as long as they continue in their business practices to advertise like car salesmen and political candidates and talk like pirates.
The post contained a grain of salt, and maybe I rubbed it in a bit. Some lawyers pointed out that not all lawyers are clueless when it comes to branding. For sure—I was generalizing to make the point. I'd be the first to recognize that there are a few amazing firms, amazing practices, when it comes to law firm branding.

Case in point: the law firm of ShuffieldLowman, in Orlando, Florida.


Ice cream may not be the first thing most people associate with a law firm. But that's the image the marketing team at ShuffieldLowman pitched for the Orlando firm's first ad campaign.

The print ad consisted of five single-scoop ice cream cones in a row followed by a triple-scoop cone and the words: "Expect more from your law firm."

No courthouse pillars. No scales of justice. No stern-faced partners in suits standing in front of bookshelves filled with law volumes.

ShuffieldLowman's marketing director, Mellanie Bartlett, wanted an ad that would communicate the 18-month-old firm's core values while illustrating its personal approach to the practice of law.

The firm's lawyers and staff bought it. But The Florida Bar did not -- at least not at first. Still, the firm persisted and, in what amounted to a long-shot attempt to save the ad, got the Bar to overturn its rejection on appeal.
"This ad is very creative, and that's very unusual in lawyer advertising," said Charles "Skip" Sells, one of the firm's commercial litigators. "The advertisement uses humor to point out that not all firms are the same and prospective clients could or should expect more from any and every attorney relationship."

As remarkable as the advertisement is, from a branding perspective, it's just stunning that The Florida Bar's ethics counsel, which must approve every ad by every lawyer in the state, completely missed the point. Lawyers who do understand branding are going to have to lead their profession by example, and it's not always going to be easy.
Posted by abnu on Thursday, May 05, 2005 @ 12:06 AM [ + ]

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