We surveyed AmLaw 200 marketers and found that there is a planned uptick in some marketing activities on the horizon for the coming months, including some surprises. Read the full article below as it first appeared in the ABA’s Law Practice magazine. View full article

Thanks to our collective real concern about corporate conduct, the global Great Recession and the nearly mystical attraction social media currently enjoys, the concept of “transparency” is now all the rage. Many companies are changing their message from ” This is what I can do” to “Dudes, this is what we can do together!”

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An employer brand is one of the strongest tools available for attracting and retaining talent. And in the professional services business where your product is your people, your brand is reputation and where reputation is really all about behavior, your employer and consumer brands are inextricably linked (more on that below). So the question isn’t whether you need to articulate and express your employer brand. It’s how.

The place to start is with the right definition of an employer brand.

In an Economist survey of senior management and heads of departments, 60 percent defined it as an “expression of a company’s distinctive employee experience,” as opposed to the 7 percent who suggested that it has to do with the look and tone of recruitment ads and material, for instance. It’s apparent, then, that the majority of senior managers tend to get it. And that’s a good thing; they just may not be sure what to do about it. That’s where you can make a difference.

Speaking of definitions, employer branding clearly involves strong, consistent and compelling (read: hard to ignore) communications, which is critical in a world where we are on the receiving end of more than 3,000 messages—from ads to email— every day. But the process is more involved than having HR and a Cracker Jack agency combine to wow and engage the troops. Yes, communications about the employment experience need to break through the clutter. But a true employer brand is deeper than a campaign: it includes every aspect of how your people are handled—from the moment they make contact with you as recruits to how you handle their retirement party.

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May the calendar keep bringing
Happy holidays to you

Come to Holiday Inn
If you’re burdened down with trouble
If your nerves are wearing thin
Park your load down the road
And come to Holiday Inn

— Bing Crosby: “Happy Holidays”

As the holiday season approaches, so does the often cheerless task—ironically—of producing and mailing the firm’s holiday card. If you’ve received this assignment, you could be forgiven for taking an axe to Bing Crosby’s perennial noel… but a closer look at the lyrics above suggests that Bing may have shared your pain. (By the way, these are the real lyrics; we looked them up.) We know these thoughts are too late for this year, but seasoned veterans know that it’s never too early to start planning for the next.

For years, we’ve heard horror stories surrounding the production of what is supposed to be the year’s warmest sentiment. So we thought we would share some of what we’ve learned, advice that might turn this annual chore into the celebration of gratitude and affection from your organization to your friends and clients as it was originally intended. Then you, too, may be singing:

If the traffic noise affects you
Like a squeaky violin
Kick your cares down the stairs
And come to [insert your organization here]

What works in holiday promotions?

Every year, we collect all the cards and gifts that come into our office and spend a firmwide lunch discussing them. We vote on the best and shamelessly belittle the worst. We are merciless even though we know very well that the worst card we get has best wishes for us in mind. Are we particularly cruel? The jury’s out on that one, but here’s what we know: the impression your card or gift makes is the difference between a wasted effort and a memorable one.

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Choate, Hall & Stewart launched a groundbreaking Web site earlier this summer to critical acclaim and a large dose of industry buzz. While the entire site is a stand out, the Careers section earned the most attention. It integrates reality-TV style vignettes, professionally acted commercial videos, vintage film footage and a healthy dose of humor—all to communicate the many benefits of working at Choate. Check it out yourself at choate.com/careers.

Hitting the mark

Targeted campus recruits give the site high marks for its form and function. They think the videos “put a human side” on the firm that they aren’t seeing at other firms and they especially appreciate the professionally acted videos for “saying it all while saying so little.” At the same time, Choate recruiters report that the Web site is getting rave reviews. A typical interview starts with a student smiling and remarking that he or she likes the Web site. Recruiters also feel that their job is easier because some points have already been made before the students meet them.

Can it get any better than that for a marketer?

You bet. Off campus, choate.com earned the attention of the press and the general legal community. Since its mid-July launch, the site has been featured in The Wall Street Journal’s legal blog, the Boston Business Journal, The National Law Journal and in an upcoming issue of The American Lawyer. On top of that coverage is the resoundingly positive banter on several legal marketing sites and blogs.

What’s the hullabaloo? And why the buzz?

Well, first, choate.com is the sharp execution of a smart idea. But it’s also a true original in the legal space. Choate is the first mover. And as a result, Choate gains the first mover advantage. Choate joins a class of notable marketers who have dared to be different and set new precedents.

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