Beswicks Solicitors complete rebrand and launch new web site
Beswicks Solicitors is based in North Staffordshire, with 14 partners in three offices. It offers a wide range of services to companies and private individuals and also has a specialist division providing sports law and athlete management services.
Formerly known as Beswick Barker Moon, the firm had evolved following a couple of mergers and suffered a number of problems with its brand:
- Locally people still used a variety of combinations of the old name
- When asked if they knew Beswicks, many people would refer to the pottery brand of the same name
- Few people had a clear understanding of the full range of services available from Beswicks
- Their old identity comprised a complex image and was looking rather dated. It was not always viewed alongside the name Beswicks or the word "solicitors".
Relocation to a new flagship office in Autumn 2005 provided the impetus required to undertake a brand review including a competitor analysis which revealed that 5 out of 6 of their core competitors also had a blue logo and they were all shaped as squares or rectangles.
A brief was developed for the new brand with a number of key objectives:
- it should clearly differentiate them from their competitors
- the overall look should present a strong clean modern image
- the words "Beswicks Solicitors" needed to be an integral part of the design
- is should work well in colour and black and white format and should not require a special print colour (and consequent additional costs)
Large firms may have the resources to fund and project manage an entire re-brand for a single date. However as the office relocation was already a major undertaking it was agreed to split the project plan into three phases.
Phase 1 was the production of the suite of stationery and brochures which were required initially for a business mission to Sweden in September 2005 and would then be used to communicate the office move. This included engaging a professional photographer for two days to take portrait and team photographs.
Phase 2 involved the physical environment of the new offices including internal and external signage, frosting of interior glass with the logo, brochure display, advertising and PR around the office opening in November 2005.
Phase 3 was the development of the web site www.beswicks.com which went live in March 2006, supported by a three-month outdoor advertising campaign.
The Beswicks web site was an important element in their marketing mix, providing a 24hour showcase of their services, the team, latest news and their strong commitment to the local community. Beswicks wanted a content management system, to enable them to keep the site up to date themselves, and they were keen that the new web site should comply with the Disability Discrimination Act. They also required an integrated sub-site, www.beswickssports.com, for the sports division which has a strong international clientèle.
The project was put out to tender in December and the appointed agency, Pancentric clearly had the best feel for the Beswicks brand and how it might transfer to the internet.
"This has been an important investment for a firm of our size, and the response from clients, intermediaries and the media has been fantastic," comments Managing Partner, Simon Woodings. "It has really helped us to stand out from the crowd and our profile has grown immensely in the local community. We are regularly contacted by the local media now and I can directly attribute new work to the rebrand. The reaction of the staff has been very positive indeed and it has also had an impact on our attractiveness as an employer."
Return to news