The recent announcement that Lang Michener will merge with McMillan took Bay Street by storm. McMillan’s marketing team was ready, though, and the slick microsite the firm prepared about the merger is as informative as it is engaging. The site includes a video featuring interviews with key players, information for clients and students, an FAQ, and much more.
Precedent spoke with McMillan’s National Director, Marketing & Business Development, Catherine Meaney, about how the site was developed and introduced.
How long were you given to develop the microsite?
We started planning our communications efforts surrounding the announcement of the McMillan and Lang Michener combination approximately five months ahead of the announcement date. We began work on the microsite approximately two months prior to the announcement.
How did the fact that the merger announcement had to be kept secret affect the microsite’s development?
We developed a secure, confidential test website that contained the information related to the combination. We worked on it independently of the firm’s main website, until it was integrated with the main website at midnight on the night before the announcement.
What were the major goals of the microsite?
The primary goal of the microsite was to provide McMillan and Lang Michener clients and other interested parties with one source of up-to-date information about the combination of McMillan and Lang Michener. The site was also developed to provide information to students and the media and to provide key contact information.
What motivated the decision to give the student content such prominence?
Student recruiting is a priority for both McMillan and Lang Michener. Given that we had recently completed our summer student recruitment, we wanted to make sure that we made it as easy as possible for students to learn about the new McMillan and to know who to contact if they had any questions.
Why was the decision made to use video as a main content delivery tool?
We chose video as the primary means of telling our story because we felt it was important for people to be able to see and listen to the three people who brought the two firms together and to hear their vision for the combined firm.
How long will the microsite live on the McMillan site?
The microsite will live on the McMillan website until early to mid 2011.
Will this microsite be updated in the future?
The information contained in the microsite will be integrated into the relevant sections of the combined firm’s main website as we proceed to integrate our people, practices and operations.
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