The seven postcards are helping to make Blank Rome stand out from other law firms in the increasingly competitive recruiting market.  The postcards, which convey key messages about Blank Rome, are somewhat whimsical, but at the same time, deliver precise points about the firm.  Blank Rome LLP is one of America's largest and fastest growing law firms, with nearly 500 attorneys serving clients in Philadelphia and 10 additional offices.

The postcard program was created by the firm’s Chief Marketing Officer, Andrea Stimmel, using the brand design firm Greenfield Belser, as a joint project with the firm’s attorney relations groups.  It is a key first step in a new look and feel for the firm, which will follow soon on a revamped Web site and collateral materials.

Targeting the top

The postcards were distributed to law school students during the busy recruiting period in the late summer and early fall.  "The feedback from our own attorneys and staff has been overwhelmingly positive, and we've heard that the cards beautifully reflect the firm's culture and aspirations,” said Donna Branca, the firm’s Director of Attorney Relations, who heads up the recruiting program.  “Students have also reacted favorably and seem genuinely impressed with the materials. Students welcome a fresh approach that shows we understand what is important to them."

Blank Rome targets its recruiting efforts at leading law schools including: Columbia, Cornell, Duke, George Washington, Georgetown, Harvard, Howard, Michigan, NYU, Penn, UVA, and many other top tier law schools, as well as several regional minority student job fairs.

Research was key in creating the postcards, because not all students agree on what they want to see in promotional materials from a firm.  Blank Rome conducted three focus group sessions with students from its summer program plus an additional focus group of first-year associates.  The input proved to be extremely valuable.

"We all learned first-hand about our target audience to ensure that our postcards would address the issues most important to them," said Fred Blume, Managing Partner and CEO of Blank Rome.  “The cards, both in substance and style, reflect how Blank Rome is different from other law firms.”

Many students said that they appreciate getting practical takeaways but do not want gimmicks.  While print material is somewhat redundant to the Web site and most students don't typically read it, they would rather have a tangible item than nothing.  The students pointed out various things that impressed and attracted them to Blank Rome: Blank Rome's extremely successful summer program, the firm's growth strategy, the government relations affiliate and the importance of stressing individuality.  They also gave very specific feedback regarding the photos Blank Rome chose and the messages the firm wanted to portray.

“We all understood that our Web site would be the primary place that recruits would get most of their impressions about Blank Rome,” said Stimmel. “We wanted a fun supplement to the Web site, not redundant print materials.”

Emotional decision

The firm’s discussions with Greenfield Belser led to several conclusions:

(1)   Once students gather all their information from various sources, they ultimately make their decisions based on emotional considerations (e.g. "I really liked the interview" or "Their offices are great").

(2)   Recruits scan before they read and thus are much more likely to read headlines.  Therefore the firm did not want a long, standard brochure–but instead, a design geared for the scanning reader.

(3)   We wanted to create a buzz on campus to portray the real culture of Blank Rome (i.e., both sophisticated and fun).

(4)   While many firms address similar messages that are important to students--great people, work/life balance, training and mentoring--Blank Rome wanted to say it with flair. 

To turn the idea into reality, key people at Blank Rome needed to be convinced: the members of the firm’s Recruiting and Retention Committee, the Marketing Committee and ultimately the Managing Partner and Chairman.  With advice from the firm’s staff and lawyers and data from the focus groups, the Managing Partner and Chairman approved the postcard campaign.  3,000 postcards were subsequently printed.

The postcards are based on the theme, "Wish You Were Here."  The first card in the series has a view of the three cities in which Blank Rome has its largest offices–New York, Washington and Philadelphia–to reinforce the firm’s national platform.  The cards also highlight Blank Rome’s culture and entrepreneurial style of doing business.  The other six cards focus on particular aspects of the Blank Rome experience:

·        "Talk more. Squawk less.” This card with three American bald eagles on the front, features Blank Rome’s successful Government Relations practice, an area of great interest to many law students.

·        "There's No Place like Blank Rome." Playing on Dorothy's mantra in “The Wizard of Oz,” (her fabled ruby slipper is pictured), this card highlights Blank Rome’s highly regarded summer program for law students. 

·        "Pulling Our Weight." The card illustrates Blank Rome’s strong commitment to pro bono work by showing a determined dog trying to lift a giant barbell – symbolic of how people must come together for the community by pulling their weight.

• "Just be Yourself." The card, picturing a zebra with rainbow stripes, reminds recruits that “individuality is at the core of Blank Rome’s culture” and that the firm draws its strength from its diversity of background, interest and personalities.
• "Get Direction." Blank Rome’s mentoring program and professional development underscore this card that shows a man looking at a map. It reminds students that when they come to Blank Rome
•  They will get direction from the time they start in the summer through their tenure with the Firm.

• "Find Your Drive" Showing people in go-carts, this card shows how students can test-drive their careers through Blank Rome’s summer program that encourages a wide range of assignments to help them find the most suitable area to them.

 “The postcards stress a culture at Blank Rome dedicated to developing the person as well as the lawyer,” noted Stimmel.  “We want students who receive a card to say that Blank Rome is the kind of place where they would fit in and grow.  This generation of law students is used to getting information in non-traditional ways and it is important we reach out to them in a new way.”