2004 WINNER
Nigel Cissack(l) and Tony Chapman of Pinsents
The heart of marketing is
the need to anticipate and meet
client needs.Pinsents has provided
an incredible example of applying
marketing in its purest and most
powerful form.
Recognising that disputes and
litigation represent a painful issue for
commercial clients with little clarity
on the costs and likely outcomes,
the dedicated client service teams
undertook internal and external
research and worked closely with
clients to understand their needs and
possible solutions.
The firm then invested in innovative
product development - including a
new risk and reward methodology
based on decision trees, new project
management software, forensic
accounting and economist
colleagues working alongside
litigators, staff training and standard
documentation including at a glance
reports and bar charts for board
room use.
Their ‘Reaching Solutions’ campaign
did an outstanding job in pursuing
the text book strategic marketing
process - from diligent research,
significant investment in new product
development and onto focused B2B
direct communications in its entirety.
And they generated spectacular
results and very high satisfaction for
its clients. With £3 billion worth of
disputes under management in
2003, there were only two trials and
many happy clients.
RUNNER UP
Shepherd and Wedderburn's Forward 2004 campaign was a cause-related campaign into how prepared Scotland's towns and cities were for new consumer legislation and had true value beyond the commercial benefits to this law firm.
Through careful mystery shopper research into High Street facilities in conjunction with a key not-for-profit community organisation (Capability Scotland), the firm took a leadership position in promoting awareness and understanding of Disability Discrimination legislation.
The first research project was followed up by a second phase that included researching the views of disabled consumers with supporting PR, direct mail and online activities to distribute the report focusing on the £5 billion disabled consumer market widely. There was also collaboration with RICS to include property professionals in the campaign. The third stage of the programme involved a series of business breakfasts to present case studies and practical advice.
More media coverage - in press, radio and TV - was generated than for any previous campaign by the firm. Web traffic increased significantly and the campaign pages remained in the top 10 requested pages for eight months. The business breakfasts attracted 345 delegates - of which 75% were new contacts for the firm.
3RD PLACE
Cobbett's "Wind of Change" and "New Face" campaign was a well executed merger campaign with all of the correct components in place for both internal and external audiences during a six month transition period following the announcement of a merger between law firms in Birmingham and Leeds/Manchester.
The corporate identity was revised and the graphics throughout all the collateral materials are consistent. And again, the themes are carried through in the advertising campaign. Client communications programmes were supported by a proactive media relations campaign using a spoof filming stunt in key business locations. There was even a Carnival for staff and a client and referrers launch event.