Media & Communications Corner: Jason Dinwoodie, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Dewey Ballantine LLP

The key to making a marketing and public relations program work, Dinwoodie advises, is to 'use all of the tools available in a marketer's toolkit toward advancing a single objective.' Dinwoodie calls this approach 'opportunity placements.' Perhaps the firm senses a great business opportunity when a bankruptcy lawyer states that the next industry to face a major downturn is the widget manufacturers. The marketer's immediate job is to 'productize' the issue. How? By identifying all of the ways he or she can reach the audiences interested in the topic, with the firm's message ' be it quotes in targeted publications, bylined article placements, speeches, events, or newsletters. The program must be executed consistently. 'Far too often, lawyers will spend time talking to reporters at publications that have nothing to do with advancing their business, on topics that have little relevancy to their business development objectives, solely because they like to engage in the process of the interview or see their name in print.' It's imperative to stay on track with the public relations work, with the right audiences, in order to build upon the opportunity that has been identified.

The Role of the PR Professional

Public relations is a strong tool for business development, and Dinwoodie views the role of a PR professional as one of 'information purveyor' and not 'spin doctor,' because public relations professionals are not people who 'convince or create a need.' Rather, the public relations efforts need to blend with those of the effective business developers, who analyze a problem, identify solutions and as a result, remove barriers to sale. When combined, the publicity provides information to the marketplace via media and other communications tools, which provides context to business development efforts. Dinwoodie firmly believes that PR can be used to draw attention to issues, identify solutions and demonstrate why your firm is uniquely qualified to help clients address specific issues and opportunities. 'If you are providing accurate, comprehensive and independently verifiable information,' Dinwoodie notes, 'then your efforts should be successful. But remember, as the saying goes, 'you can't put lipstick on a pig,' and so if you are not uniquely qualified, don't have a unique point of view, or can't back up your assertions, then it may be a bit premature to engage in PR on that topic. Because that's when you're engaging in spin ' and spin has a way of coming back to you.'

Brand-Name Exposure

In addition to bolstering the business development efforts with solid public relations placements, another significant benefit of PR is to create an environment for sales to take place, by repeatedly exposing the firm's brand name. When properly managed, this repetitive visibility can help to build top-of-mind awareness. 'Long term,' Dinwoodie adds, 'this could mean far less 'pitching' by your lawyers during face-to-face meetings.' To tackle this strategy, it's critical to think through what you really want to achieve and to always remember the law of unintended consequences. For example, if you use what Dinwoodie calls the 'stars approach,' wherein you pick one spokesperson in each practice area to be available to the media, you may run into two problems: 1) journalists may tire of talking to the same person again and again; and 2) you may be creating a perception that the practice group lacks bench strength.

Dinwoodie prefers what he calls the 'ships approach,' which refers to the JFK quote that a 'rising tide lifts all ships.' With this tactic, Dinwoodie educates all interested partners about how to work with the media as well as the fundamentals of the firm's public relations interests, for example the all-important discussion about client conflicts. With the 'ships approach,' the journalists have access to a greater number of sources, and the reality of the practice group's depth and strength is more evident. And each time a partner is quoted in the press, the firm and the individual benefit.

The firm showcases its media hits at 'Dewey in the News' on its Web site, and includes them in other firm publications where appropriate. Dinwoodie's group also monitors and analyzes the firm's clippings through various news services and software tools to determine which efforts are most successful and also where improvements may be needed to change a public perception. While Dinwoodie, like many public relations professionals, is still waiting for the day when he can say that a media placement directly caused a new piece of business for the firm, he does receive anecdotal information from partners when a prospect or client mentions having seen a lawyer on TV or in the paper. Undoubtedly, clients like to see that their lawyers are quoted in the press, as it verifies what they suspected all along: that their lawyers are competent people whose opinions are valued. However, Dinwoodie warns about those unintended consequences, such as when hate mail comes in after a partner has discussed an unpopular issue on the news, or defended a controversial pro bono cause. In those instances, Dinwoodie says 'Sometimes you just need to resign yourself to the fact that what you say isn't going to play with all audiences. At that point, all you can do is play for a draw.'

Liz Lindley is the Director of Public Relations and WritersForLawyers' at Jaffe Associates. She is based in New York and New Jersey and can be reached at [email protected] or 201-313-5661.

Dewey Ballatine LLP, with 12 offices worldwide, 550 lawyers, and a history of legal service since 1909, is a well-known brand whose lawyers are consistently visible in the press and at conferences. Leading the firm's efforts in marketing is Jason 'Jay' Dinwoodie, long known in the legal marketing industry as a cutting-edge marketer and strategic innovator, who joined the firm in 2004 after serving as
the Director of Communications at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. Dinwoodie's marketing team consists of 20 people in offices in New York, London, Washington, DC, Frankfurt, Warsaw and Milan, who are organized along the lines of a practice group model. Each practice group manager, Dinwoodie says, is equally skilled in general marketing, business development and communications disciplines, and is more similar to a product manager within a corporation than a specific subject matter expert.

The firm's marketing plans have strong public relations elements that drill down to the practice group and individual levels. In general, the firm does not advertise; although Dinwoodie on occasion places ads associated with the firm's sponsorship of a charitable event or conference. The philosophy behind this selected placement of ads is that the 'guaranteed placement' of an ad does not necessarily mean guaranteed credibility or guaranteed results. Dinwoodie, and the lawyers at the firm, are more inclined to invest in media relations programs.

How It Works

The key to making a marketing and public relations program work, Dinwoodie advises, is to 'use all of the tools available in a marketer's toolkit toward advancing a single objective.' Dinwoodie calls this approach 'opportunity placements.' Perhaps the firm senses a great business opportunity when a bankruptcy lawyer states that the next industry to face a major downturn is the widget manufacturers. The marketer's immediate job is to 'productize' the issue. How? By identifying all of the ways he or she can reach the audiences interested in the topic, with the firm's message ' be it quotes in targeted publications, bylined article placements, speeches, events, or newsletters. The program must be executed consistently. 'Far too often, lawyers will spend time talking to reporters at publications that have nothing to do with advancing their business, on topics that have little relevancy to their business development objectives, solely because they like to engage in the process of the interview or see their name in print.' It's imperative to stay on track with the public relations work, with the right audiences, in order to build upon the opportunity that has been identified.

The Role of the PR Professional

Public relations is a strong tool for business development, and Dinwoodie views the role of a PR professional as one of 'information purveyor' and not 'spin doctor,' because public relations professionals are not people who 'convince or create a need.' Rather, the public relations efforts need to blend with those of the effective business developers, who analyze a problem, identify solutions and as a result, remove barriers to sale. When combined, the publicity provides information to the marketplace via media and other communications tools, which provides context to business development efforts. Dinwoodie firmly believes that PR can be used to draw attention to issues, identify solutions and demonstrate why your firm is uniquely qualified to help clients address specific issues and opportunities. 'If you are providing accurate, comprehensive and independently verifiable information,' Dinwoodie notes, 'then your efforts should be successful. But remember, as the saying goes, 'you can't put lipstick on a pig,' and so if you are not uniquely qualified, don't have a unique point of view, or can't back up your assertions, then it may be a bit premature to engage in PR on that topic. Because that's when you're engaging in spin ' and spin has a way of coming back to you.'

Brand-Name Exposure

In addition to bolstering the business development efforts with solid public relations placements, another significant benefit of PR is to create an environment for sales to take place, by repeatedly exposing the firm's brand name. When properly managed, this repetitive visibility can help to build top-of-mind awareness. 'Long term,' Dinwoodie adds, 'this could mean far less 'pitching' by your lawyers during face-to-face meetings.' To tackle this strategy, it's critical to think through what you really want to achieve and to always remember the law of unintended consequences. For example, if you use what Dinwoodie calls the 'stars approach,' wherein you pick one spokesperson in each practice area to be available to the media, you may run into two problems: 1) journalists may tire of talking to the same person again and again; and 2) you may be creating a perception that the practice group lacks bench strength.

Dinwoodie prefers what he calls the 'ships approach,' which refers to the JFK quote that a 'rising tide lifts all ships.' With this tactic, Dinwoodie educates all interested partners about how to work with the media as well as the fundamentals of the firm's public relations interests, for example the all-important discussion about client conflicts. With the 'ships approach,' the journalists have access to a greater number of sources, and the reality of the practice group's depth and strength is more evident. And each time a partner is quoted in the press, the firm and the individual benefit.

The firm showcases its media hits at 'Dewey in the News' on its Web site, and includes them in other firm publications where appropriate. Dinwoodie's group also monitors and analyzes the firm's clippings through various news services and software tools to determine which efforts are most successful and also where improvements may be needed to change a public perception. While Dinwoodie, like many public relations professionals, is still waiting for the day when he can say that a media placement directly caused a new piece of business for the firm, he does receive anecdotal information from partners when a prospect or client mentions having seen a lawyer on TV or in the paper. Undoubtedly, clients like to see that their lawyers are quoted in the press, as it verifies what they suspected all along: that their lawyers are competent people whose opinions are valued. However, Dinwoodie warns about those unintended consequences, such as when hate mail comes in after a partner has discussed an unpopular issue on the news, or defended a controversial pro bono cause. In those instances, Dinwoodie says 'Sometimes you just need to resign yourself to the fact that what you say isn't going to play with all audiences. At that point, all you can do is play for a draw.'

Liz Lindley is the Director of Public Relations and WritersForLawyers' at Jaffe Associates. She is based in New York and New Jersey and can be reached at [email protected] or 201-313-5661.