Communications works best when it stops feeling like marketing, says Naomi Butson.
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a professional services firm in possession of a great reputation must be in want of someone to tell people about it. What is rather less universally acknowledged is how interesting the work of doing so turns out to be, particularly from within a professional services partnership.
A partnership does not operate like a corporation but instead moves like a conversation with multiple voices, each bringing its own perspective and genuine stake in the outcome – a model that was entirely new to me when I joined Marks & Clerk.
My previous roles had spanned royal engagement strategy (surely the monarchy is the ultimate partnership model?!), international media relations for global brands such as HSBC and crisis communications across Asia from Hong Kong. Before that, I worked at MySpace,
a role I remember with great fondness because of the passion and talent of the people I worked alongside. Despite this, we were never able to successfully reinvent ourselves in the face of competition from a new up-and-coming platform called Facebook, a reminder that brand resilience and reinvention are still largely the preserve – and the privilege – of established names.
The governance layers inherent in a partnership model will be familiar to most readers. Speaking as a former outsider, I now recognise that these structures are not barriers, but a well-established framework that supports progress and secures firm-wide buy-in. And while I would never claim that my approach to communications has reinvented the wheel (whoever owns that patent is really onto something…), I have learned that a one-size-fits-all approach simply does not work – particularly in professional services, where our partner expertise and our client base are so diverse.
Campaign approach
With this in mind, we realised we not only needed different approaches for different audiences, but also to play to the different sets of expertise our fee earners offer. We embraced a campaign-led model underpinned by regular content contributions for our website and further supported by timely newsjacking.
Every Marks & Clerk campaign is anchored by a piece of thought leadership or a report that may generate media coverage, but more importantly provides a lasting asset that audiences can return to again and again. This, in turn, equips our fee earners and business development colleagues with a valuable entry point for conversations.
Our e-book for the startup community, The IP Driven Start-up, is a great example. Its success led us to update it two years later and, more recently, to launch a podcast under the same banner.
We now have a suite of communications materials from media articles to video content that support a broad audience at different stages of their IP journey.
Alongside this, I am incredibly proud of our annual AI report. Our team’s expertise in AI is arguably unrivalled, so the opportunity to work with them to create something that showcases this is such a privilege.
This year marks our sixth report, and while we retain a consistent core approach, we evolve the focus each year to reflect market developments and audience needs. For example, we explored quantum computing in the same year the UN marked the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, and we examined the role of AI in clean energy as the UK reached record levels of renewable power usage. Bringing a broader, more accessible angle to such a specialist topic is particularly important to me. Intellectual property (IP) can often feel out of reach, yet it can be the very thing that makes or breaks a business. Being able to demystify it and bring that understanding to a wider audience is very rewarding.
Evolving media
Alongside our campaign activity, we closely monitor how IP-related stories are evolving in the media. We have equipped our fee earners with the tools and support needed to respond quickly with personalised commentary for our website, and the team works with them to ensure content adheres to our editorial guidelines before it is published.
We also work closely with the firm’s Information Services team and our PR agency to ensure we remain aware of emerging themes and do not miss key opportunities to contribute to the wider conversation. As a result, we have developed a well-oiled machine that has enabled us to consistently lead in share of voice. Maintaining that position is a constant challenge! Our competitors are producing some excellent thought leadership, and while I try not to compare too closely, I am always interested in the fresh angles and timely topics they are exploring.
It’s fair to say that this shift in culture where communications is not a chore but a natural extension of business development, has truly been spearheaded from the top. Without a managing partner who genuinely understands the value of communications the most compelling strategy will struggle to land. On a practical level, I always make a point of celebrating wins internally and externally, particularly around media coverage. It is a big ask to pull busy fee earners away from client work, and it’s important to acknowledge that. It is also an effective way to inspire and build momentum.
Of course, none of this addresses the AI-shaped elephant in the room and the subsequent reality that many of our established approaches must evolve. Work is already under way on a forward-looking strategy designed not just to keep pace but to ensure Marks & Clerk continues to cut through the noise in an increasingly complex landscape. We now need to build on our strong foundations of deep content expertise and genuine agility to maintain our position and continue moving forward with confidence, which is a genuinely exciting challenge.
But the best part? Once a firm in possession of a strong reputation decides it is, in fact, in want of someone to tell people about it, the results tend to speak for themselves. ■
Naomi Butson joined international intellectual property firm Marks & Clerk in 2021 and is now International Corporate Communications Manager, leading global communications to support the firm’s growth and brand.
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