P PA I M E M B E R S S H A R E T H E I R S U C C E S S F U L P R O M O T I O N S

O C T O B E R 2 0 1 1 P P B 41

PROMOTIONS

Hoping to bring the same feelings of camaraderie and broth-erhood found in the military to the legal profession, the StateBar of South Dakota enlisted Terri Phelps, owner of Rapid City,South Dakota-based distributor Phelps Ad Specialties, to helpbridge the gap between the state’s young and veteran lawyers.How did they want to achieve this? Promotional products.

“Historically there has been a disconnect between the young lawyers section andthe general bar association,” Phelps explains. “The state bar president and the younglawyer president wanted to do something that would foster a relationship and closethe gap—real or perceived—between them.”

The association was also looking to address concerns over the dwindling num-bers of lawyers in South Dakota’s rural areas. “If you can get a job at a law firm that

has 15 other lawyers, as opposed to being onyour own in rural, isolated South Dakota, mostyoung lawyers will choose this option becausethey are hesitant to start their own business,”Phelps says.

To combat these problems, the state barimplemented a new mentorship program, and itasked Phelps to help produce military-style chal-lenge coins as a way to promote it.

Upon induction into the state bar, younglawyers receive two round, bronze coins decoratedwith the scales of justice, the state bar association’sseal and the words “Scientia et Amicitia” (knowl-edge and friendship) on one side, and the designfound on the minted South Dakota quarter on theother. The coins were packaged in black velvetpresentation bags.

“We used the South Dakota quarter on theback so the program would be unique to SouthDakota,” Phelps says, adding that this was herfavorite part of the project. “They had no idea that

A challenge coin, deep-etched glass award and gold-foil coin stickers produced for the State Bar of SouthDakota by Phelps Ad Specialties.

Promoting ChangeLAWYERS FLIP FOR A NEW MENTOR PROGRAM ROOTED IN MILITARY-STYLE CHALLENGE COINS.

By Tama Underwood

PROMOTIONS

42 P P B O C T O B E R 2 0 1 1

they would be able to do something like that, but the SouthDakota quarter is public domain.”

Young lawyers were instructed to keep one coin and give theother coin to their mentor—matches were made by a committee.By accepting a coin, recipients agreed to encourage, support andfoster mentorship within the legal community. The exchangebetween mentee and mentor was done separately from the initialpresentation of the coins, either privately or at receptions hostedby participating law firms.

“The program is intended to promote goodwill and dedicationto core values of the law among them, getting veteran lawyers toshare their good, bad and ugly with young lawyers so they didn’tfeel so isolated,” Phelps says.

The mentoring program was a hit with young lawyers, or thosewith less than 10 years’ experience as defined by the state bar asso-ciation. The program is credited with generating a lot of buzzamong members of the association and producing true-life successstories in which young lawyers were able to start their own prac-tices more easily with the guidance of more experienced mentors.

After an initial mint of 500 bronze challenge coins, the associa-tion recently ordered 250 more. Phelps also worked with the bar asso-ciation to produce 20 pure silver coins for it to award to dignitaries,judges and law professors in recognition of their professional guid-ance of others; a deep-etched glass award to recognize the efforts ofthe mentoring program’s co-founder, Sarah Sharp Theophilus, 2009-2010 young lawyer president for the association; and 1,000 two-inchgold-foil coin stickers for the program’s correspondence.

After winning both a PPAI Pyramid Award and an AIA

Mastermind Award, Phelps was invited to attend an annual meet-ing of South Dakota’s state bar and present a second PPAI PyramidAward to its then president, Rob Morris, with whom she workedclosely on the project.

“PPAI sent a smaller version for him that looked just like mine,”Phelps says. “I surprised him with the award. He had no idea.”

Tama Underwood is an associate editor for PPB.

Client The State Bar of South DakotaObjective Build goodwill and camaraderie between the orga-nization’s young and veteran members and educate them onthe value of mentorship among legal professionalsTarget Audience Approximately 1,800 members of the StateBar of South Dakota, as well as dignitaries, judges, law profes-sors and state bar association employeesCampaign Duration OngoingROI After an initial mint of 500 bronze challenge coins, thestate bar reordered 250 for incoming young lawyers. The cam-paign also appeared in magazines and newsletters publishedfor legal professionals, and it inspired an Arizona judge to cre-ate a mentorship program for at-risk youth.SuppliersWendell’s (coins), Gerald Fried Packaging & DisplayCo, LLC (presentation bags), Discount Labels, Inc. (stickers) andModern Glass (award)

Campaign Spotlight

ppb

The challenge coins were decorated with the State Bar of South Dakota seal (left)and the design found on the South Dakota quarter.