Marketing case studies: Sponsorship, brand campaigns

June 10, 2026|Accountants, Kim's Blog, Lawyers, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy, Web Sites|

I’ve assembled some further recent case studies showcasing the latest developments in professional services marketing. Brand and internal engagement feature heavily across them all. Signposts to earlier case studies are shown below. Marketing case studies: Sponsorship, brand campaigns and podcasts

Albert Goodman (accountancy) – Sponsorship
Devonshires (law) – Brand evolution
Ellisons (law) – Brand differentiation
Mercer & Hole (accountancy) – Employer brand
Trethowans (law) – Family team podcast
Wedlake Bell (law) – New Brand
Weightmans (law) – Real Leaders campaign

Albert Goodman (accountancy) – Sponsors Bristol Balloon Fiesta

“We were looking for a high-profile sponsorship, particularly a Bristol-focused one, to build our brand over a long period of time,” Robin Clempson, Marketing Partner.

The firm signed a three-year headline sponsorship deal beginning in 2024. “It’s now called the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta in association with Albert Goodman,” Clempson said. “And they changed their social media handles and logos to our brand colours.”

There is little more visible than hundreds of hot-air balloons taking to the Bristol skies. It’s a three-day event in the summer, but there is a big programme of activity throughout the year – a city centre launch, community programmes and an outreach programme into primary schools. The community elements of the sponsorship aligned well with the firm’s ethos and values.

The firm took 350 of their people to the Fiesta to celebrate the experience first-hand.

Hard ROI is needed and translated to “very favourable” on the balance sheet. Advertising value equivalent generated by press interest alone far outstripped the cost of the sponsorship.

Then there are the new enquiries and new business leads. “New clients for our financial advice team have shown that it has more than paid for itself – before we even consider any of the wider impacts,” added Clempson.

The firm war-gamed adverse events (such as weather washouts), and when one balloon clipped the roof of a primary school the story hit local BBC headlines. Luckily, in August there were no children at the school.

Lifting off: Why Albert Goodman backed the Bristol Balloon Fiesta November 2025 (PM Magazine)

On sponsorship, you might also see Addleshaw Goddard’s sponsorship of the Chelsea Flower Show:

AG becomes first official Legal Partner of RHS Chelsea Flower Show | Addleshaw Goddard LLP October 2024

Awards 2026 Winners | Managing Partners’ Forum

AG reveals “Flourish in the City” garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026 | Addleshaw Goddard LLP May 2026

Devonshires (Law) – Brand evolution

Devonshires has grown steadily reaching a turnover of £50m with 400 people across offices in London, Leeds, Birmingham and Colchester. Much of its success was built on the social housing and living sectors. As the firm expanded into new markets it recognised the need to adjust its image.

The firm worked with Helen Westropp | LinkedIn at Delphi Marques brand consultancy, to lead an internal discovery phase that surfaced insight from colleagues at all levels. This included internal insight gathering, market perception analysis and competitor review.

The next phase involved working with Ascend Studio – award winning brand and digital agency in London., who undertook structured client feedback.

Ascend Studio then guided the firm through brand strategy, identity development and website design to translate internal and external insight into a coherent, flexible brand system.

Devonshires worked with Legal Marketing UK – TBD Marketing Agency for Lawyers for expert guidance on content strategy and SEO.

The launch marked the beginning – with success being measured in stronger brand recognition, improved digital engagement and pipeline and greater internal confidence in the telling the firm’s story. Key lessons learned were that rebrands are grounded in truth: Brand, culture and business strategy need to align.

Rebranding from a position of strength May 2026 (PM Magazine)

Ellisons (Law) – Brand differentiation

(An earlier case study for this firm is here: Marketing and Business Development (MBD) law firm case studies)

In May 2025, the firm launched a new values-led brand campaign titled “In your corner”. The campaign was a public reaffirmation of the firm’s values: independent, partner-led service and deep local commitment and heritage that can be traced back to 1764.

The campaign was sparked by significant change in regional market – a competitor acquired by a listed legal group. There was uncertainty about continuity in the market.

The firm wanted to go beyond saying “our people make us different”. The idea was simple – law firm structure isn’t just a technicality, it shapes how decisions are made, what’s valued and how well a firm understands its community.

The campaign was developed entirely by the inhouse MBD team. The Managing Partner supported the campaign vocally and publicly from day one. His visible leadership helped drive internal engagement and external credibility.

Creative assets included refreshed messaging on the web site, social media and advertising, a series of short form videos and updated marketing literature. Pull up banners were created for events and a new landing page for campaign traffic.

A brand video reached over 2,000 views on LinkedIn (with fewer than 7,000 followers). Local media coverage provided added visibility and there was feedback from clients and contacts. There was a spike in web traffic and a rise in monthly enquiries. They also began receiving job applications and direct messages referencing the campaign.

Timing was important. They were already thinking about how to articulate the firm’s structural advantage. Another was the power of specificity – focusing on SME business owners, families and individuals in Essex and Suffolk. “Brand campaigns don’t need to be grandiose”.

How Ellisons used independence to power brand differentiation September 2025 (PM Magazine)

Mercer & Hole (accountancy) – Employer brand

The firm has 300 people in offices in London, Rickmansworth, St Albans and Milton Keynes. And it is a member of The International Accounting Group (TIAG)

A strong employer brand leads to many “boomerang” employees – those who leave the firm and then return later in their careers.

In 2026, Global Authority on Workplace Culture | Great Place To Work® UK gave the firm one of its coveted accreditations. Its research highlights that 87% of the firm’s employees said it is a great place to work (against the average of just 54% across the 21,000 companies it surveyed)

The Internal campaign includes:

A 2030 strategy and company awayday in June 2026
An internal survey asking two questions of every employee
Teams invited to join workshop discussions
Everyone invited to the strategy launch workshop

The firm’s independence was a recurring theme in discussions. With many similar firms seeking external investment from private equity, the firm remains “fiercely independent”. Strong relationships are a golden thread through the firm’s MBD – from sponsorship of MK Dons and Watford Football Club to its many events.

Mercer & Hole – fiercely independent May 2026 (PM Magazine)

Trethowans (law) – Family team podcast

Candid Divorce Lawyer is Trethowan’s podcast and multi-channel content brand which won the Innovative Marketing Category at the Legal Growth Awards 2026.

The podcast was built around the insight that individuals at an early stage of divorce are not looking for legal advice, but for understanding. So the campaign focused on meeting audiences at this point of uncertainty and structuring content around the emotional stages of divorce. Each episode addressed a real and immediate concern. This was a real shift form service-led messaging to audience-led content.

Candid Divorce Lawyer was developed as a standalone, multi-channel brand rather than a single content output. Over six months the campaign combined:

longform podcast content (depth and credibility)
short form video (reach and accessibility) across Instagram and TikTok (enabling content to be presented in an informal and relatable way)
influencer led promotion (extending reach)
QR enabled materials
performance tracking

On influencer collaboration, the firm partnered with Daisy Harris-Reed (@mum_abouttown) providing access to an established audience in parenting and lifestyle communities. A further collaboration with author Laura Mountford (@lauracleanaholic) who has an audience of 700,000 followers and focuses on home, organisation and life transitions.

To engage professional referrers, branded earphones were distributed to encourage interaction with the podcast. This activation prompted positive feedback and organic sharing.

They achieved:

999% increase in new listeners
34% growth in total audience
74% increase in social followers
A top 30 Spotify video ranking

It also influenced client behaviour as individuals exposed to the content arrived better informed and more aligned to the firm’s approach which reduced onboarding friction. A second series is in production with increased focus on creator-led storytelling and expanded partnerships.

Building trust before instruction – A human-centred approach May 2026 (PM Magazine)

Wedlake Bell (law) – New Brand

The 300-year-old firm has 78 partners and 300 staff advising wealthy individuals, families and businesses. There are four broad practices: private client, litigation, real estate and businesses.

Wedlake Bell used the lover brand archetype (see Brand Archetypes: The Definitive Guide [36 Examples]) to foster a deeper connection and reflect its passion for helping clients achieve their personal and professional goals.

It has a team of three in PR and Comms – and a separate BD function – under a Director of BD and Marketing. It started discussions on a new brand with realityhouse in Bath 18 months in advance. They conducted firm surveys, presentations and client interviews to better understand how the firm was perceived.

Visually, the new brand is very different – a classic touch with a nod to modernity. This extends to smart office imagery where international skylines sit alongside a country pile and classic cars.

But it is the change to its logo that shouts something different. Whereas many of its competitors boast of their international footprint, the firm has gone to great lengths to remind everyone that although it too has an impressive global reach, London is its home. Wedlake Bell is now Wedlake Bell London.

Everyone in the firm who wanted to get involved was invited to ‘pitch’ (prepare a short paragraph) to join a 10-strong brand team. Every decision was put to the brand team first before the firm’s Board.

The new identity was launched in September but staff were given a sneak preview in January with branded cocktails, image wrapping on internal walls, a video featuring the firm’s managing partner and a presentation from the brand agency.

The Lover Brand November 2025 (PM Magazine)

Weightmans (lawyers) – Real Leaders campaign

Weightman’s “Real Leaders” campaign was designed to elevate the firm’s brand and to inspire a new standard for leadership, advocacy and stakeholder engagement.

The challenge was to create a campaign that not only resonated externally but also galvanised internal stakeholders, encouraged staff advocacy and cross-functional collaboration. The opportunity lay in harnessing digital platforms to foster real conversations that reflect the values and vision of Weightmans.

The firm secured the proactive involvement of the Board, senior management and key influencers. Leaders were not only showcased as campaign ambassadors but actively participated in content creation and knowledge-sharing sessions.

“Real Leaders” was meticulously structured, launching with a high-impact digital activation (including behind-the-scenes videos) that featured leadership stories across LinkedIn and internal comms. It unfolded in phases: initial awareness and storytelling, followed by targeted engagement initiatives such as webinars, video interviews, and interactive content.

It achieved 80,000 organic views in its first month and engagement rates significantly above B2B benchmarks. Each milestone was marked by measurable growth – organic views, engagement rates, and staff participation – culminating in Weightmans being ranked in the top 10 UK law firms for LinkedIn staff advocacy.

See the possibility – Real Leaders May 2026 (PM Magazine)