In 2007 we decided that the changing face of the legal market offered a challenge that it would be foolish to ignore. We also recognised that we are in a crowded market where few firms are truly differentiated. Despite our continued growth and success this was clearly no time to rest on our laurels.
We embarked on a re-branding, a term that we have all learned a lot about in the last twelve months. Any illusions that such an exercise might just mean a new logo were quickly dismissed. In fact to us, re-branding is simply a convenient label for a major change management exercise.
We first commissioned a research project to get to the truth about how we are seen today and to find the clues to how we can indeed differentiate ourselves in that marketplace.
The research was a 360 degree insight into how we operated and what we stood for. It was conducted independently by Brand Vista and covered clients, prospective clients, all our own people and a range of influencers and industry commentators.
The findings were balanced, encouraging but none the less hard hitting. It told all of us a few brutal truths about things that needed to change but it also identified the things that make us different. Most firms who have little market presence will be seen as traditional - it is almost a default position. Our research had to dig deeper to find the clues to help us change perceptions but also change our approaches where we needed to.
These ‘golden keys’ were essential to the re-branding exercise. It meant that we could begin to differentiate ourselves not on the things we thought were strengths but those recognised by our clients.
It also confirmed that our re-branding exercise was more about change management and internal commitment than about external design, although we needed that too. The new brand position is based on solid findings - the new brand builds on our strengths but challenges us to work in different ways.
The research findings are the cornerstone of everything we do. We have already initiated change projects to look at our measurement systems, how we capture and respond to client needs and how we communicate and work with each other at every level within the firm.
We have looked at other industries to see how best practice can be integrated into our approaches. We have specifically focused on how to put the client at the heart of our work processes and each project has been driven by this theme.
We do need to raise our profile and be more visible but before any work started on our external face, we worked as a team to define internally our positioning, brand values and the personality that our brand should represent. The research was the catalyst and source for getting this right.
We pride ourselves on being one of the few firms to take each member of staff through a branding workshop. These sessions not only explain the concept of a brand in simple language, but also engage our people in how the brand is delivered from the inside out. Our people know that our brand is not a product of marketing - it is the product of the 1000 small gestures that we make every day and at every point of contact with our clients.
We are so committed to this approach that small teams from across the business are about to commence a series of brand walkthroughs, critically examining all our processes to identify and sort out any areas where the brand ‘leaks’. Only by doing this can we be sure that our promise to our clients will consistently be matched by the service they actually receive.
The final piece of the jigsaw is the external face of our brand. This needed to signal change, offer longevity, be distinctive and above all be ‘unstuffy’. With a dramatic use of colour, a distinctive logo, and the use of straight talking language we believe our designers at Nevis have more than achieved this in the new bold corporate identity.
We believe our new outward face will really stand out from the crowd but we know that the power of the brand is built from within. Without thorough research and a change management approach the impact of our new identity will be lost.
We have to live the promise – we will live the promise.
Julian Osborne
Chairman