A last word (at least for now) on MPF’s: What
exactly do they do? Most are in IT and knowledge management,
with an increasing number in marketing.
"Marketing" remaining a fighting word to some, however, the commitment
to marketing varies greatly firm by firm. Slaughter and May,
for example, a famously conservative firm, has barely one-third
the marketing personnel as does CMS Cameron McKenna (a firm of
similar size), and one-fifth that of Allen & Overy. And,
despite a recognition that marketing is here to stay, even on the
part of "antediluvian" partners, the firms themselves admit their
marketing efforts are unsophisticated.
Wouldn’t it be fascinating to see a similar study in the US? Would
firms cooperate in revealing meaningful data? What if they
were promised the full, detailed results if they did? I think
an enterprising editor—or author of a blog—might well
take up this challenge.
