Allen and Overy has the best brand recognition among law firms in England.

According to an article on The Lawyer's Website which lists the Top 20 law firms in England based on a branding survey where…

The researchers maintained that those at the top had separated themselves and had “the best reputation” in brand terms. They said the table was based on a combination of press coverage, social media activity and “front of mind responses from the wider industry”. 

The Top 20 list follows with links to each of the firms' Websites.

The Top 20
1 Allen & Overy
2 DLA Piper
3 Eversheds
4 Irwin Mitchell
5 Clifford Chance
6 Linklaters
7 Withers
8 Pinsent Masons
9 Herbert Smith Freehills
10 Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
11 Pannone (to merge with Slater & Gordon in February 2014)
12 CMS
13 Hogan Lovells
14 Ashurst
15 Taylor Wessing
16 Olswang
17 Norton Rose Fulbright
18 Slaughter and May
19 Addleshaw Goddard
20 Berwin Leighton Paisner

 

 

Professional services firms are happy to try new things (after they see someone else do it first).

Here's a great article from the National Law Review on law firm branding and business development titled 3 Ways for Law Firms to Advance Their Brands In a Post-Recession Environment. Co-authored by Greenfield/Belser Ltd Principals Joe Walsh and Steve White.

According to the article, CEOs and CMOs surveyed rate their own firms' branding and marketing efforts as average. 66% rate their brands as marginally or moderately distinctive.

The article features lots of good stats and pertinent research for CMOs and CEOs struggling with branding their firms and funding those branding efforts in a lackluster economy, but this paragraph in particular stood out to me:

Unicorns and innovative brands are as rare as hens’ teeth. Again, responding CMOs and CEOs believe brands are important to success but say uniqueness is hard to come by in the professional services space. Perhaps this relates to the fact that lawyers and law firms typically follow precedent (and one another). Meanwhile, marketers toil in the business of awareness building and differentiation.

That’s the rub. The most innovative firms and best marketers have the courage to take risks, break with convention, and inspire interest in the brand among their audience.

It's not only okay to be different. It's essential. That's the essence of marketing.

Branding is important when recruiting candidates to your law firm too.

Here's a "sponsored content" article that appears on the Above the Law Website written by law firm recruiter, Scott Love.

Law firms know that brand perception plays a big role in the recruiting process. Their marketing audience isn't just clients and prospects, it's peers and recruits as well.

Here's a snippet form the article:

1. Always regard your firm’s brand from the viewpoint of those outside of it. We all think our own children are the smartest and best looking in the class. You need to look at your own firm objectively from the perspective of a reluctant prospect who has a lot to lose if the move to your firm goes wrong.

When good logos go bad

Designing a logo is hard. No question. To have a logo that is recognizable in a split second is a major accomplishment.

So what happens when an established company wants to evolve the logo in an attempt to refresh or evolve it to appeal to a new demographic? It's a balancing act between preserving the existing equity and updating the look without making the logo unrecognizable to core customers.

Here's a great article showcasing good examples of bad logo evolutions.

Source: http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/good...