November 14, 2014 | less than a minute read

Transparency in Professional Service firms

Get in touch

Tom Elgar

Co-founder

Get in touch

Tom Elgar

Co-founder

People in professional services tend to believe that they are 'behind the curve' on social media, technology and, well, anything really.

But on this one they are far ahead. If I want to talk to a Partner at a Magic Circle firm then I go to their website, find their telephone number and give them a call. And guess what! They pick up!

Try doing that to the CMO at McDonalds.

And actually they are keen to externalise much of their knowledge. If you are interested you can go to no-end of breakfast seminars on all areas of the law or tax. And they would love to blog too - although it is far too hard in practice (see home.passle.net!).

So maybe they aren't so stale and crusty after all. Maybe these big, flash FMCG brands could learn a thing or two from them?

Transparency will become the most important tool of marketing. Consumers are going to continue to exert power and influence. The idea of radical transparency is something that few brands are taking advantage of now, and most brands fight it. Next year the best brands won’t be those with the best stories, or sort of made up fictional stories, but those that will give an accurate and real time picture of what they are doing in the interest of the consumer, at any given time.