Know-How Exchange : Branding

We only seem BIG to the opposition.

(As in, we're not so big that you'll get lost in the shuffle)


Michael

With all due respect, coming up with tag lines for a brand through a popular "contest" in this forum, is like asking everyone what earrings to buy for your wife's birthday...
Building brands is a very serious business, people pay a fortune to get their names right, their logo right, and the tag line right.
Finding the right tag line for your business on this forum is a complete Russian Roulette game.

I certainly understand the gist of ilan's point. Online forums certainly can't replace concentrated thought, research, and creative efforts that must be a part of the process as far as taglines and branding are concerned. However, there are many formal and informal items that can go into the research and creative side of marketing. What may not be a finished product or idea may serve as a stimulus or building block to what is the final concept. I say that to say that I agree that depending SOLELY on this forum for a tagline would be Russian Roulette, however, there is no harm in using it to solicit feedback or concepts you may use or may not, depending on your creative process, target audience, etc. Any suggestion made on here is made with the caveat that the "question asker" should factor in their specific scenario and weigh each post accordingly as opposed to just letting a forum shape their entire approach. I think that's sort of an underlying principle every participant keeps in mine.

Sorry for that long excerpt, but I wanted to make sure I expressed my agreement with ilan while still providing my rationale for including my suggestion below:

As far using BIG in your tagline, I think you should avoid the pitfall of it sounding too gimmicky or impulse. )Not to say you didn't already have this in mind). When I think of the best way for you to use BIG - I think of when I see a top 10 play or an important move being made - I think "That's BIG". When something pivotal or meaningful happens, "that's BIG" is often what we think and/or say. I think that has value for your tagline/approach because the trust and level of understanding your firm can provide will be pivotal in the case of each customer you have. Your ability listen to the customer: "That's BIG". Your ability to understand their plight and get results: "That's BIG". When it comes to the positive traits you want associated with your firm, "That's BIG" serves two purposes, 1.)It highlights how BIG certain things are to your target audience. That conveys a certain level of understanding right there., and 2.) It also serves as a conection between what the audience is looking for and your firm. Need lawyers you can trust?"That's BIG". Need lawyers who can understand where you're coming from and react accordingly? "That's BIG". I am not saying use those exact questions, but I just included them to show the dual usage of "That's BIG".

Just my initial thoughts. Like ilan said, your tagline and any element of your brand has to be the result of a much more creatively stringent process than this forum, but I just wanted to throw a little fodder for the creative cannon out there.

We're BIG on listening.
We're BIG believers in you.
BIG on trust.

A tagline won't bring trust - only actions will. Make sure your branding has lots of stories of actual people the firm has helped, why they came to you, the process, etc. (ideally written by the client). Having prospects identify with your testimonials is a great way to start the trust-building.

We speak softly and carry a big shtick
Expert Litigation For the Little Guys
Making The Law Less Intimidating

Andrew,

I was Bus Dev manager for a BIG L.A. litigation firm. The Sr partners had many hundred "verdict by jury" cases as opposed to the Sr partners at the blue chip firm who might 6-8 "verdict by jury" cases.

So, I would use a total " verdict by jury" number. It's specific and it's credible.

BIG Legal
3000 Verdicts by Jury and counting

Our opponents know we are BIG

Why?

What value does BIG bring to it's prospective clients?

My personal take on what a big law firm means:

- Expensive
- Lots of cases going on, if they lose mine it won't matter to them
- I'm just a small cog in a big machine

Clients generally look for suppliers that have a similar scale to themselves. Perhaps United Airlines might want a big law firm, but Sam's Hot Dogs and Shoe Shine Stall might prefer a small practitioner (ref. John Grisham's "The Client" to understand a little more about the diverse and amorphous nature of client trust).

Fact is, advertising BIG is irrelevant. It's completely obvious to blind Freddie that a big law firm is, well, big... So saying so is pretty well redundant.

Better off explaining how you as a law firm overcome that BIG image to represent even small clients as well as you can. What is the value proposition your firm offers to its clients? Focus on what is of value to THEM, not what makes you feel good.

But as Jay cautions - if you make a promise, you'd better be sure you can deliver with action. People remember empty promises and that creates enormous negative WOM.

Hope that helps.

ChrisB