We developed a “Small but Mighty” campaign which used examples from nature, small things that were disproportionately powerful.

CASE STUDY

Incredibly smart and talented trial lawyers, they are as good as the biggest litigation firms, but in a smaller, more collegial and easy-going environment.

Led by renowned trial lawyers Eric Macey and Stephen Novack, the lawyers are intellectually rigorous, business-savvy, and tenacious. When everything is on the line, they’re the guys you want in your corner.

Challenge

They had an enviable trial record and needed a campaign that showcased their skills as a high-end alternative to big firms, a small firm that was just as good as the big firms — better, in fact, for everything except those disputes which require enormous teams of lawyers.

Strategy

We developed a “Small but Mighty” campaign which used examples from nature, small things that were disproportionately powerful.  These acted as the metaphor for the firm’s practice – a rhino beetle that can carry 850 times its own weight.  Or the world’s hottest pepper, the Tepín, which is the size of a pea, or the tiny Poison Dart Frog, which can kill you if you touch it.  We used these images in an integrated campaign including a logo and identity materials, “Small but Mighty” tag line, website, print ads, firm brochure, giveaways, and direct mailers.  We mailed small, private-labeled packets of Tepín peppers to 2500 members of our mailing list, creating great buzz.  Our inch-high direct-mailed brochures fit into a tiny leather briefcase and came complete with a magnifying glass. Clients took realistic poison dart frogs from a glass bowl in the lobby, clutching the small firm brochures.

Results

Within 18 months, the firm had grown 40%, and received an international award for creative and effective marketing.

“Small but MightySM” indeed.  You fit the bill in your area of expertise every bit as much as we do in ours.  You and your team’s efforts on our behalf were exceptional, and I know this is just the beginning of a lot more collaboration and excitement.  What impressed me most about working with you was your ability to convince our lawyers to pursue a long-term integrated marketing campaign.

–Eric N. Macey, Managing Partner, Novack and Macey, Chicago

The firm is “Small but Mighty”

REFERRALS

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If you hire Novack and Macey, you’ll have a small, dedicated team; everyone on the team will be involved in the case, the retained partner will stay on it without passing the client from lawyer to lawyer.

It’s a solid model. Working closely with the marketing partners, Monte Mann and John Schonkweiler, the award-winning “Small But Mighty” campaign had helped put the firm on the map, and it was time to freshen the message and focus directly on increasing referrals, marketing directly to their referral network and the Chicago-area legal community.

They had a steady stream of work from satisfied clients and client recommendations. But most litigation boutiques receive a sizable amount of their work as referrals from other law firms that have a conflict, need a lawyer for a co-defendant, or don’t have litigation or trial capabilities.

The new solution was to turn the firm name into a verb, i.e. to “Novack and Macey” something would mean to “send a litigation referral,” e.g. “We Novack and Macey’d it. ”It’s a memorable way to reinforce the firm name right in the headline, while also explaining clearly the behavior we want from the readers.