Bank of America Media Monitoring

Bank of America Media Monitoring

            Bank of America’s media coverage throughout the month of May 2012 has been widespread and diverse. The finance industry in and of itself has been extensively scrutinized in all forms of media.  Current reassessments of government regulations, the precarious nature of present economic conditions, and shareholders and customers general distrust of big banking have all contributed to an influx of media interest in covering financial institutions.

Bank of America has received a considerable amount of attention based on its size and stature. An analysis of news mentions, blog mentions, web mentions, and PR Week articles reveal the nature of Bank of America’s media coverage from an external perspective. Bank of America’s own Tweets, Facebook posts, and official news releases provide an indication of both the company’s responses and proactivity in controlling and influencing media coverage. Bank of America’s created content also provides an indication as to how the company uses external communications to shape their own reputation through the media. Media coverage in the month of May is introspectively significant. May serves as the middle month of the second quarter, and the end of Q2 signals the halfway point of the fiscal year. Media coverage in the middle of a quarter could significantly affect the reputation of the company at the end of the quarter, and consequentially, its stakeholder’s opinions at the midway point of the fiscal year.  

Bank of America received a total of 290 news mentions, 89 blog mentions, and 30 web mentions from May 1^st to May 31^st, according to Google Alerts. Bank of America was also the subject of two full-length feature articles on PRweek.com. Bank of Americas communications division released a total of 45 press releases, archived in their online newsroom. Reportage on Bank of America throughout the month of May examined a myriad of topics.  Throughout the month, intermittent reports on various presentations, awards, and events with high-ranking Bank of America employees as speakers were covered by all outlets. The majority of this type of coverage stemmed from Bank of America’s press releases.

Earlier in the month, news and blog coverage focused on rounds of layoffs and job cuts at Bank of America’s investment banking, commercial banking and corporate banking units, in order to reduce costs. As expected, news of employee elimination was detrimental to the company’s reputation in news, blog, and web coverage. Company representatives stated that job cuts were part of plan to greatly reduce costs; however, in an economic environment with high unemployment rates, elimination of a company’s workforce is negatively viewed by the public.

Several other subjects generated concentrated coverage in specific parts of the month. Foreclosures, mortgages, and mortgage relief have dominated the media’s coverage of commercial lenders since the start of the US housing industry’s financial crisis in 2007. Bank of America released several new mortgage packages and media outlets focused on new opportunities for formerly foreclosed homeowners. Positive coverage generated in regard to mortgages and home equity financing vastly improves the company’s overall public image. Other topics mentioned in May that could dramatically improve the company’s public image include the revenue-generating sale of Bank of America’s stake in Archstone, an apartment company, to rival investment bank Lehman Brothers.

An indirect influence that positively affected the public image of Bank of America was the convenient timing of the JP Morgan 2 billion dollar trading loss and congressional inquisition of CEO Jamie Dimon. As a direct competitor to Bank of America’s Merrill Lynch, unethical and unprofitable investments by JP Morgan serves to divert the attention of pessimistic reporters and analysts, and allows Bank of America and opportunity to gain public favor by demonstrating a commitment to ethical and profitable investments. In response to the JP Morgan trading scandal, articles featuring Bank of America’s viewpoint on the incident and interviews with CEO Brian Moynihan positively impacts the company’s image. Stories comparing Bank of America to JP Morgan during this time use quotes from Moynihan such as:  “we’re smarter than JP Morgan,” “comfortable with banks investments,” and  “not too big to manage” portraying Bank  of America in a wholly positive manner.

The month of May earned Bank of America a wide variety of media attention the majority of coverage focused on a single event: Bank of America’s annual shareholder meeting. Although every corporation is required by law to hold an annual meeting to elect members to the board of directors and inform shareholders of past and future activities, no other company’s annual meeting spawned as much media coverage as Bank of Americas. On May 9^th, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Bank of America headquarters in Charlotte, NC to rally against the bank’s foreclosure practice, investments in coal mining, and other grievances. CNN Money dubbed the event “Occupy Bank of America” and devoted several days to covering the meeting and accompanying protest. ( http://money.cnn.com/2012/05/09/markets/bofa-protests/  ) The majority of media mentions for the week of May 6^th – 12^th focused on the annual meeting. Stories were also dedicated to reporting the state of unrest within the actual meeting, with shareholders actively expressing discontent for the bank’s activities.

The media firestorm surrounding Bank of America’s annual shareholder meeting completely negated any resurrection of a favorable public image the company had hoped to achieve. By literally demonstrating their frustration and dissatisfaction with the bank’s activities, protesters succeeding in reaffirming the general public’s mistrust and abhorrence of big bank industries, and brought these attitudes back to the forefront of media attention. Reportage detailing the disapproval and dissent inside the meeting further exacerbates the bank’s negative public image. As a company literally dependent on these shareholders, Bank of America’s reputation as a whole will continue to suffer if media coverage derived directly from these shareholders is so blatantly negative. Bank of America’s reputation as a whole has been severely damaged in the opinion of all major publics as a result of this disastrous meeting.

            The topic that received the second largest majority of Bank of America’s media mentions throughout the month of May was the company’s hiring of a new branding and advertising agency. On May 3rd, Bank of America sent out a press release stating “Bank of America today announced it has selected Team Bank of America at WPP as its global agency of record after an extensive review.” (http://newsroom.bankofamerica.com/press-release/new-hires-promotions-appointments/bank-america-selects-team-wpp-its-branding-and-adver) The release details the reasoning behind the choice of WPP, a self-described “world leader in marketing communications,” as an attempt by Bank of America to “help us better communicate both the progress we’ve made as well as the value of our brand and our company to all of our stakeholder groups around the world and across all of our lines of business.” Team Bank of America at WPP was selected to “handle Bank of America’s overall brand positioning, as well as branding and advertising for its Consumer Banking, Global Banking and Markets and Global Commercial Banking divisions.” Given the current tumultuous state of Bank of America’s public image, particularly in these three areas, the employment of a rebranding agency shows that the company is not only acknowledging its negative reputation, but taking significant steps to change the public’s perception.

            Media reaction to this news release was immediate. In the days following the Bank of America’s news release, news, web, and blog mentions were both speculative and seemed to agree with the decision that Bank of America desperately needs a drastic rebranding effort.  The most notable media mention in response to Bank of America’s hiring of WPP was a feature article posted on PRweek.com, which provided details on the selection of WPP from the viewpoint of the marketing and communications industry. (http://www.prweek.com/uk/news/1130454/WPP-lands-global-Bank-America-ad-branding-account/?DCMP=ILC-SEARCH) The article describes WPP as “winning out” over competing agency BBDO. The article also details the different agencies already employed by Bank of America in the company’s other segments. The article mainly inserted WPP related news from Bank of America’s own press release, but provided additional industry insight, comparing the budgets and company segments awarded to WPP against the other communications firms working with Bank of America. This public relations specific media coverage affects the company’s public image from the viewpoint of communications industry professionals. Increased attention from marketing and communications agencies can drastically improve the quality of services rendered from those employed by Bank of America. If Bank of America is viewed by the communications industry as a desirable, rather than desperate account, the company’s reputation in the public relations industry could be improved, leading to a positive change in the company’s public image in the business sector.

Bank of America’s use of social media was highly concentrated on a few topics, and far more directed, contained, and controlled than traditional media outlets. Bank of America has struggled to recover from social media attacks and negative campaigns from outside the company, and as a result their own adoption of social media practices has been implemented with trepidation.  The main Twitter handle for Bank of America’s company news and information, @BofA_News, sent out a total of thirty-six tweets in May. Bank of America’s Facebook page was converted into the new “Timeline” format in May, resulting in only one post displayed. Bank of America’s YouTube channel posted two video news releases in May, the first on May 24^th, which received 841 views, 3 likes, and 3 dislikes. The second was posted on May 31^st and received 1,185 views, 8 likes, and 5 dislikes. Comments were disabled on both videos.

Bank of America’s use of Twitter and YouTube in the month of May was used as part of a wider public relations campaign to attract and appeal to small business owners. The peak of Bank of America’s Twitter activity occurred on May 24^th, with six tweets released. Four of the six Tweets contained information related to the bank’s newly created Small Business Report. On May 24^th at 7:00 am, Bank of America Tweeted: “@BofA_News: #BofA first semi-annual #smallbizreport, released last week, can be found here: http://go.bofa.com/8u4c” (https://twitter.com/BofA_News/status/205659439259320323) Bank of America continued the small business themed tweets on May 24 by hosting a live Twitter chat hosted by @BofA_News and USA today small business columnist Steve Strauss (@SteveStrauss) and small business media professional Rieva (@Rieva). Bank of America offered small business owners the opportunity to connect directly to the company and have any inquiries regarding the Small Business Report immediately answered. Bank of America started the open forum Twitter discussion by tweeting “@BofA_News: If you have a question about the #BofA Small Business Owner Report, add #smallbizreport to your tweet.”

The purpose of these twitter releases and discussion was to provide a direct two-way communication method between the company and their small business customers. Bank of America’s use of Twitter allowed small business owners to connect with the company in a free, open, easily-accessible forum. In their usage of Twitter to target small business owners, Bank of America is implementing a part of their wider public relations campaign to show support for their small-scale commercial customers and attempts to change public opinion to view the company and more personal and individually attentive.

Another example of Bank of America’s attempts to connect to small business owners through social media was the release of a motivational YouTube video coinciding with the May 24^th Tweets.  Bank of America’s YouTube channel posted a video on May 24^th titled “Big Ideas for Small Businesses: A Small Business Case Study,” subtitled “Brought to you by Bank of America.”(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNJyPSOXRY0&list=UUtHZ1qs5h4sx9TijVBQCMIA&index=7&feature=plcp) The video features “small business expert and columnist, Steve Strauss, [who] interviews a small business owner who has successfully navigated and grown their small business during challenging economic times.” The video offers advice, expertise, and examples of marketing tools for small business owners, including social media. The video also suggests partnering with other small businesses and taking advantage of other no-cost communication exchange opportunities for small business owners. Notably, the video does not mention any financial or banking strategies. The video ends with a link to Bank of America’s “Small Business Online Community,” a separate social networking site featuring forums, stories, and articles exclusively for Bank of America’s small business customers. (http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/index.jspa)

Bank of America’s YouTube release served several public relations purpose. The video format and use of YouTube appeal to an entirely different demographic than traditional mass media outlets. Posting the video on the company’s own lesser-known YouTube channel enabled Bank of America to completely control the message, yet still allowed viewers to repost and share, achieving the goal of a social media release. This YouTube release also served to show small business borrowers that Bank of America can be used as a resource for more than just financing. By presenting themselves as a comprehensive resource for small business owners, Bank of America provides additional product to existing customers and attracts new customers without using blatant and advertising and sales tactics. This YouTube video supported bank of America’s wider public relations message of demonstrating a commitment to the success of small businesses.

Bank of America’s fledgling social media presence appears most effective when directed at individual small business owners. By segmenting the behemoth bank into a smaller, more accessible financial source using social media, Bank of America becomes humanized in the eyes of their social media follower base. Instead of appearing as a bureaucratic institution controlled by a concentration of seasoned shareholders, Bank of America can present itself as a smaller, more personal bank. Social media use that targets small business owners can establish a sense of trust, familiarity, and intimacy between small-scale commercial borrowers and the massive lender that is Bank of America. If combined with traditional mass media advertising and public relations campaigns, social media can be used as an additional strategy, enabling Bank of America to establish effective two-way communication channels for each and every type of stakeholder. 

Grace Junior Boutique: A History

Grace Junior Boutique: History and Her Story

            The year was 1963. Grace and Arvel Allread opened a small shop in a converted garage on their family homestead in Chico. Imported toys, giftware, jewelry, candles, and a menagerie of collectible items lined the shelves of the Handcraft House, earning the title of Chico’s first gift boutique. Forty-nine years later, the Handcraft House has metamorphosed into Grace Junior specialty boutique. Five decades of business have changed the Handcrafts House name, location, employees, and merchandise, but the family philosophy has remained. Grace Junior has evolved as a woman, as a store, and as a legacy.

The idea of a specialty boutique in Chico came from Grace’s visits to San Francisco gift shows. Grace had a penchant eye for detail and natural ability to make and predict trends in retail. Grace made her trips to San Francisco and returned with one-of-a-kind products. “Mother was ten years ahead of her time, all the time,” Poni Mosier, the second daughter of Grace and Arvel and current full-time owner and manager of the boutique says. Arvel Allread mastered the entrepreneurial spirit from selling concessions at the high school football games. Even though the Allreads started the store together, according to Mosier, “it was really Mom that ran the show.”

The gift boutique evolved from their compatibility as business owners and consumer demand in the Chico area. “At the time, there weren’t any gift shops, they didn’t exist. You had the Lenox store with the linens, and the hardware store, which you could get other things. There wasn’t anything in between.” Handcraft House was located next to the popular (and now defunct) Pizon’s Pizza, out at 1430 Bidwell Avenue. The eclectic style of the sixties was mirrored in the merchandise at Handcraft House. “There were velour clothes from Switzerland, leather clogs from Denmark, candles, wooden toys and Christmas ornaments from Germany, military miniatures from France, designer clothes from local women, and all the hot new designs that became so popular in the sixties.” Mosier says.

The exotic imports and the store’s special events attracted the community to the homestead shop. “Because our location at the time was so far from downtown, Grace had all kinds of events to attract people out to the shop.” There was art shows, a Christmas opening, 4^th of July celebration, and during Pioneer week, a mini Mexican market. In 1969, there was a new bridge built at Bidwell and Nord Avenues, and traffic no longer routed directly by the homestead. Grace Allread began advertising, all through direct mail. She sent out personalized mini calendars with customer’s names; marked with events. There were 1,000 names on the list in 1970. Today, the list is over 3,500.

In 1972, the Handcraft House welcomed a new era with two significant changes. The first: a move across town to the downtown lobby of the old Sequoia Hotel. The second: renaming the shop. Customers mistakenly associated the name Handcraft House with craft supplies and assumed all the items were handmade. The store needed a name as unique and personable as it was. Mosier and her father declared the new name in homage to its creator.  “Dad (Allread) and I twisted Mom’s arm and convinced her we should use her name: Grace Junior. She was very shy about it at first. Then, like her name, it became second nature.” The name for the store came from the woman, but the name of the woman came from a surprise. Expecting a boy, Grace’s parents chose the name Junior. When Grace was born, they chose her first name and kept Junior as her middle name.

The first downtown location of Grace Junior specialty boutique spanned the entire lobby of the Sequoia Hotel at 235 W Fifth Street.  Floor to ceiling windows showcased the store’s offerings, “the major displays were perfect to accommodate all the new merchandise, plus all the candles and wonderful ‘accentricities’ and eccentricities that came to identify Grace Junior gifts,” Mosier says. Tourists and locals alike became devoted customers, and devoted customers became an extension of the family. Grace Junior Allread as a person was synonymous with the personality of Grace Junior as a boutique. “She always had a surprise and a smile,” Mosier days.

In 1980 Grace Junior boutique moved to its current location, when the Sequoia Hotel was purchased by North State Bank. The discovery of the location was serendipitous. There was a tiny house secluded in shrubbery on Fifth Street, between what was then Nimshew Station restaurant (now Fifth Street Steakhouse) and Stansbury Home, just a block away from the hotel location. The tiny house was so covered in foliage and trees; it was impossible to see from the street. Once the shrubbery was cleared, Grace Junior had a new home. Mosier describes it as small, cozy, personal, and reminiscent of their original look at the Bidwell estate.

Today, the selection of products as unique as ever: jewelry, stationary, greeting cards, home décor, and gifts that can’t be found anywhere else. Men, women, and children of all ages can search for treasures among the shelves, display cases, and nooks and crannies of the little house at 331 W Fifth Street. Grace Junior’s dedication to individuality, personality and fun are still palpable in her namesake boutique. Grace Junior boutique has a past, a present, and the presence of Grace Junior Allread remains throughout the store’s history. A visit to Grace Junior boutique is a gift in and of itself.                -###-

Bank of America Corporation

Bank of America Corporation

“Bank of America is a bank and financial holding company. Through its banking and various nonbanking subsidiaries throughout the U.S. and in international markets, Co. provides a range of banking and nonbanking financial services and products through six business segments: Deposits; Card Services; Consumer Real Estate Services; Global Commercial Banking; Global Banking & Markets; and Global Wealth & Investment Management. “

http://www.mergentonline.com.mantis.csuchico.edu/companydetail.php?compnumber=5771

Company Website: http://www.bankofamerica.com

Current Fortune 500 Ranking: Nine

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2011/snapshots/2580.html

Originally Founded: Bank of America was originally incorporated in July 1968 in North Carolina. Following a string of acquisitions and mergers, Bank of America was reincorporated in Sept. 25, 1998 in Delaware.

Headquarters location: Varies by sector.

Current Key Executives: Charles Holliday is the current chairman if the board of directors. Brian Moynihan is the current President, Chief Executive Officer, Division officer, and Subsidiary Officer.

Corporate mission statement:

“Helping Make Opportunity Possible”

Major Goals:

“Bank of America is lending, investing, and giving to help make our communities great places to live and do business”

http://www.bankofamerica.com/index.cfm?page=about

Major product lines include:

– Commercial Banking: checking accounts, savings accounts, and credit cards

– Lending: mortgages, home equity loans, auto loans, refinancing

– Insurance

Subsidiaries Merrill Lynch is the most notable subsidiary, Bank of America’s Investment banking division. Merrill Lynch services include self-directed investment, investment advising, private wealth management

Number of Employees: 282,000 (Approximate Full-Time as of 12/31/2011)

Number of Shareholders: 237,902 (as of 02/17/2012)

Current Market Cap: 91,117,982,610

Revenue: 115,074,000,000

Net Income: 1,446,000,000

http://www.mergentonline.com.mantis.csuchico.edu/companydetail.php?compnumber=5771

 

Poni of Grace Junior: First Name, Second Generation

Poni Mosier of Grace Junior:  First Name, Second Generation

“If you really want to know anything about the store, you gotta talk to Poni,” a Grace Junior employee says one afternoon. Grace Jr.’s Facebook page proclaims, “Poni is back from the gift show and her bag is brimming with fresh new items for spring!” Who is the one-named force behind the downtown gift shop and boutique?  Poni Mosier is the owner and full-time manager of Grace Junior. She admits her last name “isn’t really connected with the store anywhere out there,” and she’s become the Madonna of downtown shop owners, so to speak.

The actual Grace Junior store is named after Poni’s mother, Grace. Grace Junior is located at 331 W Fifth St., according to their Facebook profile, “in a neat old house tucked between Stansbury Home and Fifth Street Steakhouse. Grace Jr. sells an eclectic selection of jewelry, stationary, greeting cards, and home décor.”

Poni Mosier has been inseparable from Grace Jr. throughout her life, “the first store location was actually out at our house, my Mom and Dad’s house,” she says. The store has been at the current downtown location since 1980. Although Grace passed away in 2006, the legacy of her family business continues through the namesake shop. Mosier has been the full-time manager and director of operations at Grace Jr. since 1985. She works four eight-hour days a week on the floor of Grace Jr., and “it’s 24/7 off the floor,” Mosier says. “There’s a sign at the print shop that says: ‘Now that you own your own business, you only have to work half days. You just choose which half, which 12 hours you want to do.’”

On a typical day inside Grace Jr., Mosier can be found bounding from card display to jewelry case, from room to room, from customer to customer. She excitedly embodies the energy of the boutique, “It’s just such a personal place, you have to have a personal investment in it,” she says of her life with Grace Jr.  The store glitters, glistens, and of course, shines with the majestic creations of countless designers and artists.

“I am an artist myself,” Mosier explains of her dedication to the company. Mosier’s specialty is creating luxury notecards that she designs and crafts to sell in the store. She also sells her own art through specialty online art retailer, Constance Kay. According to Mosier’s ConstanceKay.com Artist Profile: “Poni has been creating for as long as she can remember—drawing, painting, collecting beads, paper, natural stuff, charms, and anything else that caught her fancy. She watercolors, does woodworking, makes jewelry, and, of course, her cards. She loves beautiful, well-designed objects, as well as color and what you can do with it and how it can make you feel.”

Mosier’s passion for her own art and attraction to multi-faceted aesthetics palpably translates into her management of Grace Jr. Mosier is also the sole decider of what array of offerings fills the store’s many shelves. She has one simple rule in choosing which treasures to stock and sell, “I don’t buy anything I don’t like. Because you can’t sell something you don’t like.” She also chooses products that enhance the store’s overall uniqueness, “I find things that one else has. There is so much product out there in the world, there is just no reason to sell all the same stuff . . . [as other downtown shops].”  Exclusivity is another Grace Jr. tradition Mosier carries on from her mother, “Mother was notorious for being secretive,” Mosier says of Grace, “she always wanted to stay on the outer edge of things, which sets us apart from all the other shops.” Mosier upholds these values of steadfast individuality in the selection of all the creations sold at the shop.

As for remaining a fiercely independently-owned and operated small business in the era of globalization and corporate consumerism, Mosier is confident the distinction between the two will remain. “It’s like comparing potatoes to oranges,” Mosier says of comparing small specialty boutiques to corporate retail chains, “you can compete for the basic dollar, but you can’t compete for customers and their loyalty.”

Mosier is committed to embodying the traditional values of Grace Junior in every aspect of day to day operations. By inheriting the family business through its namesake member, she’s learned firsthand from her mother what this means from a social standpoint. From a business standpoint, Mosier has allowed the company to flourish in a competitive environment by offering a distinctive selection of specialty items and indulgences.

Grace Junior Facebook profile: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Grace-Jr/184640621597155

Poni Mosier Artist Profile can be found at: Constance Kay artist profile: http://constancekay.com/artists/poni.html

Profile Story Review: “The Mystery Monk Making Billions With 5-Hour Energy”

Profile Story Review

“The Mystery Monk Making Billions With 5-Hour Energy”

By Clare O’Connor

This story originally appears in the Feb. 27 edition of Forbes magazine.

Manoj Bhargava is the almost virtually unknown inventor and CEO of 5-hour energy. This profile story was written to serve the public relations purpose of introducing the business world to the undeniably successful, yet incredibly eccentric, CEO. This is Bhargava’s first national media interview. He was previously almost unknown to the general public, and said of himself,  “Google me and you’ll find, like, some lawyer in Singapore.”

The story’s headline is extremely unusual and eye-catching, yet still very accurately represents the primary journalistic points stressed in the rest of the  story: Bhargava is in fact a mysterious CEO who studied in a monastery-esque setting for years and is now a purportedly earning billions in 5-hour energy sales revenue. It is fluffy, yet factual.

This profile is written as an unconventional take on the typical “rags-to-riches American Dream” style of feature story favored in CEO profiles. The flow and organization is unique in that it introduce Bhargava’s success, and states that he dominates the market based on the 90-some lawsuits filed aggressively against competitors. The story opens with a vivid description of his office, which now hosts a literal graveyard of his (former) competitors. The story then jumps to Bhargava’s personal backstory, using endearing details that present him as a foreign-born business person who truly relied on their own skills, intellect, and intuition to not only chase, but realize, their own personal version of the “American Dream.” While the writer’s idea isn’t new, the juxtaposition of the subject’s hard-earned success backstory with his dictator-style business strategies keeps the idea refreshing and intriguing.

The raw, unabashed quotes from Bhargava set this profile story apart from the typical CEO success-story. “I’m killing it” and “I’m probably the richest Indian in America” (he isn’t) are definitely not what would come out of the scripted-entirely-by-PR-pros mouth of an American CEO, and O’Connor peppers the story with these unexpected statements.

O’Connor keeps the reader engaged by adding in everyday details: the neon color of the drinks, Bhargava’s primitive choice of cell phone, Bhargava’s unenthusiastic experience formerly working for his parent’s chemical company. This not only makes the story seem like an accurate representation, but allows the reader to genuinely relate to Bhargava, unusual as he may be. O’Connor also primarily relied on her firsthand interview as story research.

The overall theme of this story is to show how Bhargava isn’t the typical American CEO. O’Connor provides rich details about his life that show both his genius and his eccentricities. O’Connor also keeps the story business focused by detailing the unconventional structure of Bhargava’s business setup and charity financing. This keeps the theme consistent and appeals to the Forbes target audience of business professionals.

“The Mystery Monk Making Billions With 5-Hour Energy” can be read in its entirety at:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2012/02/08/manoj-bhargava-the-mystery-monk-making-billions-with-5-hour-energy/

The law offices of McKernan, Lanam, Bakke, & Williams LLP

McKernan, Lanam,

Bakke & Williams, LLP

There’s a small office on the corner of 445 Normal Avenue. The parking lot is full in the early morning hours, the fluorescent lights switched on until late evening. A partially fractured sign outside presents the name of the enigmatic little business: the names of the four attorneys collectively known as the law offices of McKernan, Lanam, Bakke, & Williams, LLP.

Who are the diligently-working people behind these names?

And what administration of the legal profession is executed here?

The law offices of McKernan, Lanam, Bakke, & Williams, LLP is a legal service practice specializing in General Civil Practice,  Family Law, and Corporate Law.

These names act as a symbolic description of the partners and associates stationed at the Chico branch of the practice; originally founded in Paradise by listed partner Randy Bakke.

While the complicated name and dilapidated signage don’t exactly appeal to potential clients attracted to a law office that presents a glitzy façade, it is ultimately the behind-the-scenes presentations and communications that matter in the legal services sector.

First impressions aside, how does this office personify the significance of effective legalese communication in their daily work life?

Once inside the office the atmosphere changes entirely: phones are ringing, faxes flying, keys furiously typing, a constant rotation of clients coming and going in-and-out the door. The quiet contentment of the peaceful neighborhood is replaced by the fast paced fury of legal research, case preparation, and client relationship building.

The conceptual practice of law is proliferated in the communications processes that take place out of public view. In the complex, confidential, and dictionally precise legal services sector, how do external and internal communications with clients and target publics change? Does office “curb appeal” really matter to a client if their case is won? Traditional multimedia advertising and marketing are prevalent in  the legal sector, but do they effectively bring in clients?

The questions provoked by the law office of McKernan, Lanam, Bakke, & Williams, LLP provides a fascinating exemplification of several prevalent topics in public relations writing: the contrast between internal and external public communications, the demise of traditional advertising in favor of customer-conscientious word-of-mouth techniques, and the varied implementation of PR tactics based on the industry.