Is it immoral to contact a recent clients competition for work?

S

Squiddy

Guest
It was just something I thought about earlier today...

I recently created a logo for a company in an industry where branding is little to non existent (on a professional level at least) I know that doesn't really narrow it down... but still!

I'm also doing their website, so they are updating a very large portion of their branding identity. Anyway, it occurred to me that a fairly good reason to re-brand a company is if your direct competitors are doing so - and not doing so in return (especially if what you have is currently out-dated or unprofessional) would, in the eyes of the public, make their company look rather inferior in comparison and reflect badly on the company itself.

So, knowing this presents the opportunity of being able to contact my clients competitors (without it feeling distinctly like random cold calling) stating that I couldn't help but notice one of their competitors have recently updated their branding identities and wondered if they were interested in following suit to maintain perceived standing. Or something along those lines - I haven't given that part too much thought yet.

What are peoples opinions on this? Is this standard practice or something that could potentially damage my reputation?
 
Think this depends on how small or large the field is and whether they are direct competition, and therefore you may end up with a conflict of interests. Having a selection of work for different clients in the same broad field is good to show you know the marketplace, and Mirror Marketing/ Targeting (where you look at your current clients and see what other companies may have similar needs) is quite legitimate.

One thing you do need to bare in mind is would client A be pissed/ stop working with you if you took on work for client B. If so you may loose out on follow on work from the original client which could be more valuable in the long run.
 
You raise some good points there. So, similar companies in the same profession - fine, but an identical company based down the same road as my previous client is a no no.

Or in broader terms when there is a personal competitive relationship, which is more likely to be of a negative nature than a friendly one, between a previous client and a potential future one - there could be issues there.

I don't think I will take this path then if there's a chance it will a) backfire and lose me work rather than gain it and b) damage my reputation or upset previous clients.

Thanks Russell :)
 
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