When diamonds aren’t forever.

At mext we've spent a lot of this year thinking and talking about client needs in legal services, so it wasn't a big surprise that this New York subway ad caught my attention. 

Amusing, audacious, perhaps a little bit shocking. With a few exceptions, in Australia we are not used to seeing a lot of law firm advertisements in mainstream media. There seems to be a great divide between those who advertise their services and those who don’t. 

What is so surprising about this ad is the way it treats the subject matter. We tend to think that those going through separations and family breakdowns are finding it overwhelming and depressing; that what they need is to be treated with sympathy and sensitivity. To approach it other than with the utmost gravity seems almost taboo. But maybe not for everyone. 

By using humour, this ad momentarily diminishes the problem and makes it just a little bit easier to cope with. For many people this will be just what they need. Nothing like a bit of gallows humour to take the stress out of a situation. 

But for me, the best bit is the disclaimer. There is probably a legal requirement for it, but…. Attorney Advertising: Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome…

King & Wood Mallesons nominated finalist for ‘best new brand launch’

King & Wood Mallesons’ audacious brand launch was nominated as a finalist in the AMI’s prestigious ‘best new brand launch’ category. The nomination is testament to King & Wood Mallesons’ ground breaking thinking in creating one of the world’s largest legal brands and the first large scale China/Western merger. 

In developing their new brand, the King & Wood Mallesons team engaged mext for their extensive global brand development experience and unique tools based on trust. Mext worked with the team as the merger was unfolding, making it a very exciting and challenging project. 

The brand results are no less ground breaking than the merger. The brand launch received widespread publicity and accolades for its clarity of positioning and immediately lead to new business opportunities. The advertising campaign created based on the brand strategy by mext partner, mr mumbles, was so well received that some clients reportedly put the ads up on their wall. The internal launch included a program that allowed global staff to send messages to each other via messages on T-Shirts.

At the time of the launch Stuart Fuller, Global Managing Partner, King and Wood Mallesons commented: 

“We want to build great things with our clients and our people, enhancing the reputation that both firms have already built over many years and take it to the next level. In a legal landscape of ongoing rationalisation and expansion, King & Wood Mallesons has recognised that the battle for brand is the next frontier. With this campaign, we are taking the first step in standing above our competitors.” 

www.mextconsulting.com

www.hutrust.com

www.mrmumbles.com