Never miss a branding opportunity

If a brand consists of the mish-mash of feelings, ideas and emotions that spring forth when a customer or prospect thinks about your company, its products or services, then it stands to reason that every communication tactic you employ either reinforces that brand or calls it into question.

In other words, for example, if your brand says "hip," but your Web site says "institutional," then you're making it more difficult for your target audience to get a fix on who you really are and whether you fit with their sensibilities.

For the most part, companies that plunk down major bucks to promote their brands seem to get this idea, and their marketing reflects it. They know that their message always needs to match the brand image in the marketplace to build and maintain differentiation from their competition. That differentiation, they know, is what will drive a prospect in their direction when a purchase decision is being made - whether that's today, or years in the future.

One of those "years in the future" industries - at least for most people - is the legal profession. By now, most law firms of any size have discovered the idea of using advertising and other communications strategies in an effort to build some differentiation among their potential corporate and high net-worth targets. Their hope is that they will be top-of-mind when a need arises.

But, one Kansas City-based firm with all of 12 attorneys recently ran a print advertisement that suggests that they could teach the big boys a thing or two about differentiation.

That firm - Warden Triplett Grier - ran an advertisement that thanked their departing partner for helping build the firm, and wished him well in his new assignment as General Counsel for a "valued client" of the firm.

This little ad (less than a quarter-page in a tabloid section of The Kansas City Star) differentiated the firm as a place where people and clients are valued at a personal level - all in 56 words plus an ampersand.

Did they mean to differentiate themselves, or just to say "thanks" to one of the builders of the firm? Who cares? This is a textbook example of where brains beats budget, and it offers some valuable reminders for all those seeking to build their brands:

• Everything contributes to brand. There is no such thing as an insignificant piece of communication when it comes to brand - be it a letter, voicemail message, e-mail style or advertisement. Everything you communicate speaks volumes about who you are.
• Make your message matter to your target. While its competition touts the expected (toughness in court, winning records, etc.), this small firm says, "We appreciate our people." Sounds like a place that would appreciate its clients, too.
• Avoid "we can say it better" thinking. Would anyone even notice this firm among its more well-funded competitors if they ran the same size ad talking about their skills, specialties or awards?

The message: When the competition is stampeding in the same direction, space is available at other compass points. Find the "space" that fits your brand, and fill it strategically.