Known as one of Chicago’s most entrepreneurial mid-sized business firms, Shefsky & Froelich (now Taft) had a reputation for bringing creative solutions to client problems. We worked closely with the firm’s terrific marketing team, primarily Executive Director Laura Thompson and Marketing Partner Alan Slagel.
After conducting marketing and branding training and conducting dozens of interviews, we identified “Imagination” as a powerful word to build its brand around, a word used by many of its lawyers during the meetings to describe their creative approach to client representations, a style conceived by the firm’s dynamic founder, Cid Froelich. We redesigned the logo, and the full range of marketing materials, including print ads, two firm brochures, and website.
Further, you can say you are creative in your approach, or you can prove it. The brochure and website included creative case studies showing Shefsky & Froelich lawyers solving unique client challenges.
Here’s how we phrased it:
“Imagination.
“It’s what separates typical from terrific. Laws are written in black and white and understood in shades of gray. They are deciphered, decoded, construed, and interpreted. If the issues in a lawsuit are black and white, if it’s clear who’s going to win, there’s little reason to pursue the dispute. Big deals are structured creatively — you only get that which you can successfully negotiate.
“And a lawyer who can’t see the big picture, or who sees only the traditional black and white issues, doesn’t provide as much value as one whose approach is more visionary. That’s the lawyer who can see the big picture and look through to the conclusion, and thus work backwards from their client’s success.
“That’s imagination. That’s Shefsky & Froelich.”
Interestingly, the tag line “Putting Imagination to Work” was our second choice. We were ready to launch with “Imagination at Work,” when General Electric started using that same phrase in a massive marketing campaign. We didn’t want to appear to have copied GE, so we selected the other equally good option.
