Brand power
Article Date: Apr 21 2005
Soul of discretion
Morton Fraser has been practising law for over 175 years. For most of that time, the Edinburgh firm has gone so quietly and discreetly about its business that potential customers have had few perceptions, either positive or negative, about how its brand was positioned.
In 1999, Linda Urquhart was appointed as the first female managing partner of a Scottish law firm. To show Morton Fraser in its true colours she first moved offices and then re-designed the brand.
When she took over, the firm had four different logos, which was confusing for everyone and undermined any efforts at cross-selling. In designing a new brand, she dropped the traditional lawyer’s block black and adopted clear sleek lines finished with an artistic dot.
She then set about positioning Morton Fraser as "go-ahead" with an emphasis on technology and innovation. The messages are mainly taken to market by senior individuals in the firm, including Urquhart herself who won a Corporate Insider award in 2003 for modernising and transforming a traditional firm.
‘Since 1999, people have a completely different perception of us. Before, we were one of Edinburgh’s best kept secrets. Now, we are seen as a firm going places. Only when we rebranded were we able to convince the market that we were a commercial practice.’
‘It is an ongoing process and we try to spend three per cent of turnover on marketing, which is a lot more than we were spending in 1999. And since then we have doubled in size.’
Central organising principle
There is no more powerful wealth creator than an effective brand, but creating one demands far more than a logo backed up by an attractive package and communications campaign, says Rita Clifton, chairman of the world’s leading branding consultancy, Interbrand. ‘A brand needs to become the central organising principle for all aspects of a company’s operations.’
A strong brand, she believes, will display three main characteristics: clarity of what it stands for; consistency in how it is applied throughout the brand experience; and leadership in the way that it constantly renews itself to exceed customer expectations in terms of product, service and creative quality.
‘The elephant trap in any brand development programme is when a company is seen to approach it as a cosmetic marketing exercise. Competitive distinction needs to be stitched in throughout the whole customer experience: from the language used at first contact, to all aspects of the product and service, to in-store experience and after-sales care,’ believes Clifton.
She adds that ‘a brand’s staying power will then be down to the strength of the relationships that are built with customers. Tesco is probably the best example of a company using brand-based innovation around its customers’ life-needs to create a constant steam of relevant products, services and marketing initiatives.’
