The Firm Identity

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Interesting news in the legal press this week of a tie-up between Irwin Mitchell and Telegraph Media Group. The pair are co-branding provision of fixed-fee legal services, resourced from a contact centre in Sheffield. Quoted in The Lawyer, the firm’s head of insurance Joe Simpson says:

“For Irwin Mitchell it broadens the channels and echoes the new ways in which legal services will be delivered [after the Legal Services Act (LSA)]. It’s the first post-LSA move for a newspaper brand.”

On the face of it it appears to be a good move for both parties. Irwins will profit from a direct approach to a large number of High Street clients, all of whom are presumably reassured by the brand association that The Telegraph lends to the enterprise.

But what clues might this give us to future brand alliances?

The prospect of working publicly with (largely retail or media) brands may lead to tough questions being asked of management boards. For example, would your firm be prepared to be the official legal provider to Netto, say, or Happy Shopper? And presuming not, why not? Such decisions will have to be made on the basis of brand alliances being mutually beneficial, and values aligning. Which are difficult calls to make if your brand is indistinct and your values are hopelessly wishy-washy.

This from Martin Lindstrom on the blog Branding Strategy Insider:

So try liberating your strategy from traditional alliances and think outside the box. Identify the values your brand stands for and ways the community perceives your brand, then identify other brands that share your brand’s ethos, rationale, commitments or aims. Then, start brainstorming. If you really want to heat up the creative debate, consider your nearest competitor. Determine which brands they’d have to team up with to give you a run for your money and to ignite corporate envy. Then, get in first. Approach potential partners before your competitors make their own proposals.

An alliance might prove to be key to a firm’s brand development. A mid-sizer might do a lot of good by, for example, getting into bed with Marks and Spencer or The Times. A firm wanting to shed a stuffy image might be interested in working with a more contemporary brand.

So what do we think might happen next? Will Mishcon team up with The Lady? Will Olswang get friendly with Empire? And who’ll partner up with Viz? All this remains to be seen – but any alliance at all could require a firm to sharpen up their brand definition pronto.