Larry Bodine Law Marketing Blog

Departing radically from the traditional holiday greeting card, attorneys Parsinen Kaplan Rosberg & Gotlieb in Minneapolis sent a firm holiday catalog to 4,300 clients and friends of the firm. It was an effort to humanize the firm's 30 attorneys, and it succeeds wonderfully.

The 14-page catalog is a fun and clever piece that displays firm attorneys in hilarious poses recommending their favorite holiday gifts, from $25 to $25,000.

It includes associate Lynn Archer, an ESOP attorney, recommending natural tinted lip balm, litigator Lindsay Beck advocating shoes in pink satin, and partner Sid Kaplan appreciating the bling-bling of a large Harley-Davidson (bring the catalog to the dealer and you'll get 15% off on in-stock Harley clothes and collectibles).  I love it!

The piece arrived in client mailboxes on the Monday before Thanksgiving and is receiving much acclaim. Every attorney at the firm has gotten calls and emails from clients about it. The entire campaign, which includes ads and an event, is expected to be featured in the Star Tribune newspaper.

PKRG Marketing Director Mary Kay Ziniewicz was the mastermind. Her creative team included the GDB agency for design and layout, photography by Mark Luinenburg of Luinenburg Photography and production by MSP Communications.

The catalog reinforces the firm's branding message "not your average attorneys" and accurately depicts the firm's culture. The attorneys at PKRG are willing to be leaders in the professional services industry and take risks. The catalog serves several branding goals including:

• Humanizing the attorneys.
• Building an on-going alliance with clients -- Delano Sports Center, Donahue Harley-Davidson, and NOW! magazine, produced by MSP Communications. The bike (see below) is on display in the firm's lobby as well as in NOW! magazine.
• Demonstrating how the 40+ generation is influencing the marketplace.
• Co-branding with local businesses.

The catalog shows that attorneys at PKRG clearly take an interest in their clients and their clients' businesses. The attorneys regularly receive trend updates that affect their clients and they alert them to industry trends.

You can reach Mary Kay Ziniewicz at 612-342-0329 and mziniewicz@parlaw.com.