The Challenge
Being involved in a legal matter can be a highly stressful time in anyone’s life. It’s a situation often compounded even further by the fact that engaging a lawyer is considered by many as a ‘necessary evil’. After all, who wants to see a lawyer? Driven by decades of tradition and unhelpful stereotypes, the legal professional is often perceived as being cold, aloof, unnecessarily complex and even arrogant, barely human. Of course, the reality is frequently very different – something our refreshingly-human clients at Carter Ferguson Solicitors were keen to explain to South Coast communities via the creation of a new marketing strategy.
The Strategy
Turning back the tide of tradition is rarely easy. Rather than scatter-gun approach to communications, the strategy called for a clear focus and consistent message that we could leverage across all Carter Ferguson communication channels. To determine exactly what that message should be, we embarked on a highly collaborative brand journey, working closely with the Carter Ferguson team to reveal a series of powerful truths about their business and, equally, their clients. At the heart of these was a core insight: clients consistently choose Carter Ferguson not simply because they are good solicitors but, perhaps even more importantly, because they are good people.
Exceptional at Law. Human at heart.
Guided by these insights, we developed an overarching brand positioning that has since gone on to become the platform for all brand communications:
The Creative
With a clear and compelling brand positioning established for Carter Ferguson, the next critical step was bringing it to life in every way. This required a fresh creative approach that, in both our visuals and messages, was all about reinforcing the human side of Carter Ferguson at every opportunity. To directly counter the ‘stuffy’ legal stereotypes of years gone by, it was critical for the new brand identity and tone of voice to be personal, approachable and down-to-earth. It also needed to be flexible enough that it could extend easily – and cost effectively – across all communication materials and campaigns. To date this has included:
- Branding and Visual Brand Identity
- Photography
- Website design and build
- Social media strategy, content creation and management
- Print advertising
- TV advertising
- Sponsorship and Community marketing support
- Experiential branding and marketing
- Direct marketing
- Internal marketing communications
- Collateral and brochures
- Office signage and vehicle livery
The Results
The marketing strategy was first executed in 2019, and has since gone on to touch virtually every facet of the Carter Ferguson business. The entire team welcomed the new approach and understood the importance of a clear and consistent message that communicates why Carter Ferguson are very unique on the South Coast.
“We’re extremely impressed by what they have done for our firm.” Deb Langton, Director.
