Just recently, the issue about shorter law firm names came up in a listserv discussion hosted by the Legal Marketing Association. The interesting thing is that this issue has been coming up for years. In fact, I wrote an article in The Legal Intelligencer on March 12, 2003, addressing this very issue.
What I think most legal marketing experts have found who have been around the watercoolers for a stint is that firms should shorten their names -- but should do so strategically. Legal marketers know the countless marketing and PR reasons why -- and those reasons have been expanded exponentially with SEO (search engine optimization), SEM (search engine marketing) and social media engagement. However, it's important for marketers to provide solid reasons and solutions to law firms so that shortening a firm name makes sense.
Eight reasons why a shorter firm name is better :
1. Better branding;
2. More memorable;
3. Easier to say and repeat;
4. Easier to register Web site URLs;
5. More marketable;
6. Supports name recognition;
7. Works better with social media and emerging technologies;
8. Easier to say in media interviews.
Law firm name changes can be very challenging. Just think, a firm decides to go from four names to two and all four names have been included for several decades since the firm was founded. It's not an easy decision by any stretch of the imagination. Egos often get in the way of the business decision of having a name that is memorable and marketable. What should be put first are the needs of the target audiences as opposed to the needs of the partners. (The same holds true for the information contained in attorney bios but I'll save that dissertation for another time).
I was recently in a meeting with the partners of a midsize firm dealing with this same issue and I asked them all to name one brand that came to mind -- each had 10 seconds. Not one mentioned a company with more than two words in its name and the majority named companies with one: Ford, Pepsi, Disney, Nike, to name just a few. In fact, not one named a law firm because the majority of lawyers (in my experience) do not see law firms as brands.
The length of time that it takes to change a firm name depends on the firm culture. We worked with one client where it took nearly six months, and we worked with another where it took less than two weeks to change the name, logo and corporate package (I told them they take first prize in efficiency).
The catalyst for the final decision has always seemed to be as follows: the primary thought-leader talks the other decision makers into changing the firm name only after being provided with key talking points, articles, examples and success stories of other firms (especially the competition) who have shortened their names and maintained brand integrity while growing their business.
Here are additional articles on the topic:
Name Games Loom Large in Merger Activity for Law Firms
08/21/2007, Kellie Schmitt, The Recorder
Some Firms Embrace Shorter Names, While Others Resist
01/22/2007, Stephanie Lovett, The Legal Intelligencer
DLA Piper Aims for Shorter Name for Stronger Brand
08/18/2006, Lynne Marek, The National Law Journal
Street Names: Firms Shorten Monikers to Give Them a Marketing Edge
05/16/2005, Brenda Sapino Jeffreys, Texas Lawyer
What's in a Name?
03/30/2005, Tamara Loomis, LawFirmInc.
For Firms' Names, Size Matters
11/29/2004, Meredith Hobbs, Fulton County Daily Report
Name-Droppers: Brand-New Day for Blank Rome
01/07/2003, Jeff Blumenthal, The Legal Intelligencer
Gina F. Rubel, Esq., is the owner of Furia Rubel Communications, a public relations and marketing agency with a niche in legal communications. A former Philadelphia trial attorney and public relations expert, Rubel is the author of "Everyday Public Relations for Lawyers" and the co-author of "6 Essentials for Success in Business and Life." You can find her on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/ginafuriarubel or follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ginarubel.
This article first appeared on The Legal Intelligencer Blog.
