As a fully trained and experienced marketer, who has worked with law firms, your article on 'ineffective' marketing made me smile (see [2005] Gazette, 26 May, 1).

Why, if law firms believe their promotional practices do not bring in revenue, do they continue to spend? The reasons are simple: it is a fear that not spending will leave them behind; many adverts simply appeal to partners' egos; they don't know what else to do; the entire process is incestuous. And, like real incest, it just gets dumber and dumber.


Don't believe me? Take a look inside any Yellow Pages. You will see adverts all clambering for attention, with not one standing out.


How can firms break free from this continuous cycle of monotony? The answer is easy enough, but a tough pill to swallow. Firstly, they need fully to comprehend the true nature of marketing and what it can do for them. Secondly, the role of marketing within the firm needs to be undertaken by a marketing professional and represented at partnership level. Lastly, they need fully to comprehend the nuances of the target markets they serve.


Until this happens, the marketing of firms will always be left to a relative junior in the organisation whose role in life is to produce a few adverts and generally keep out of the way.


Martin Smith, marketing consultant, Practical Skills, Sheffield