Posts Tagged ‘TV Advertising’

Biting Back

The question keeps coming up from licensees.  Is there anything else that we should consider pursuing in our advertising so as to diversify our “portfolio”.  Well, if you are not actively marketing for Dog Bite cases already, you may want to strongly consider doing so.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, almost $479 million in liability claims associated with dog bites was paid last year.  State Farm alone paid more than $109 million according to USA Today.

What is the average dog bite claim worth?  Just under $30K in 2011.  That’s up over 50% from 2004.  The Insurance Information Institute sites among the reasons that the sizes of settlements, judgments and jury awards has paced ahead of inflation.  The unfortunate reality is that kids are more often the victims.  It is not surprising that this would lead to juries more sympathetic to plaintiffs.

Market Masters-Legal licensees have access to powerful TV commercials and compelling website content targeting Dog Bite cases.  Contact us if interested in adding to your mix.

A Sketchy Lawsuit?

You know those toning shoes with the curved bottoms that are supposed to help your physique? Well, maybe that is not all they do. Skechers Shape-ups are the subject of a recent lawsuit according to ABC News. There are certainly quite a few people using these shoes. Heck, I have a pair. We will have to keep an eye on this to see if it becomes a mass tort opportunity that has any “legs” (sorry).

The QuickStrike™ program at Market Masters-Legal gives our licensees a real edge when it comes to advertising for mass tort cases on TV.

Recent Mass Tort News

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a Safety Communication regarding the risk of oral clefts in children born to mothers taking Topamax (topiramate) .

The Ft. Wayne, IN Journal Gazette reported on 2/18/11 that lawyers for Zimmer, Inc. have filed suit against some law firms who have advertised on TV and/or the web seeking clients related to the NexGen® knee replacement line and other products the company manufactures.

The FDA is warning against certain uses of Terbutaline (asthma drug) in pregnant women.

The prescription hair loss drug Propecia is the subject of a lawsuit filed against Merck & Co. According to a recent Hartford Courant report, the suit alleges that Merck & Co. has failed to fully disclose potential serious side effects.

Does This Advertising Strategy Still Work?

I just read an interesting recent article in Advertising Age that discussed the question of whether using celebrities in marketing was still viable in the “Era of Social Media”.  The overall conclusion was – yes.

“We receive more than 3,000 commercial images a day; our subconscious absorbs more than 150 images and roughly 30 reach our conscious mind………..if you use a (celebrity) strategy, you dramatically accelerate the potential for your brand to reach the conscious mind of the consumer.”

“….(it) has the power to instigate and inspire, enlighten and enrage, entertain and edify the consumer. Its inherent benefits are that it can be leveraged across multiple channel experiences (and potentially services), cuts through advertising clutter, creates a brand narrative and allows for channel-specific optimization. Ultimately, (it) is always worth investing in if you have the right person.”

Market Masters-Legal provides law firms with the opportunity to utilize the considerable spokesperson talents of William Shatner and Robert Vaughn in custom-filmed, market-exclusive multi-media campaigns.  Although far from the only elements of our creative that enable our licensees to regularly dominate their markets, they are critical components to their success.

A Dangerous Assumption For Any Law Firm?

“Everyone knows us.”

I shouldn’t be surprised when I hear this from an attorney at a well established firm that advertises heavily.  Yet, I almost always am.  Recently, I was told this by two of our licensees.  One was thinking that a 30% reduction in their advertising would not be a problem, and the other was saying that they could reallocate a portion of their budget to speculative strategies.  A few weeks after the cutback, the first attorney called me to express concern about dropping call numbers.  I reminded him about the reduction and he acknowledged that it was the likely cause of the downturn.

I have been told that the typical city/market experiences as much as a 20% annual turnover of population.  That 20% each year will not know you based on longevity or past marketing.  Even more important is the question as to what happens when a firm lessens its marketing position?  Inevitably, a competitor or competitors fill the vacuum that is created.  It can give them life where previously they were much less relevant.

Everyone does not know you, even if a lot do.  Stay strong and aggressive in your marketing using superior creative and proven strategies.  It will keep you on top.

Does A Holiday Connect To Cases?

Heading into Labor Day Weekend, I was trying to think of something appropriate to post.  Then I received a call from a prospective client interested in our TV campaigns for a specialized area, Wage Hour abuse cases.

Unfair labor practices have been around a very long time.  However, the suffering economy seems to have led to even more people being taken advantage of.   Hourly workers are required to work extra time without being compensated, or they are “promoted” to “management” to bypass overtime requirements. Two current Market Masters-Legal licensees began advertising for these cases earlier this year, with very strong results.  One of them told me that bigger companies are paying the fines/penalties whenever they are called to task, but have no intention of stopping what they are doing.  The savings outweigh the costs associated with the minority of people that will pursue claims against them.  In other words, there is no end to available cases/victims.

We have been advocating diversification in the types of cases being advertised for as a means to further grow practices.  Wage Hour abuse is an area that may be worth further exploration for you.  Let me know if you would like more information.

Have a safe and happy Labor Day Weekend.

Is This The Future of Lawyer Advertising?

“Inception”

Summer’s blockbuster movie centers on a company hiring a group of people to plant an idea directly into someone’s subconscious mind using a rather invasive technology.   Now, maybe (ok, probably) I was the only one in the theater thinking of this, but the whole thing seemed like one big metaphor for advertising.  After all, isn’t it the ultimate goal of advertising to motivate people to take a specific action?  And doesn’t the best advertising have to work beyond the surface and reach right into the subconscious so that when a need arises, the first thought that comes to mind is the advertised product or service?  In the legal category, for one, the answer is a resounding “YES”.

When someone is injured, is a victim, is being mistreated or taken advantage of by the insurance company or is being denied any number of their rights, are they reflexively thinking of your firm first?  Is your marketing working at such a level that people think of you even when your ads are not right in front of them?  Have you successfully planted the idea in their mind to call you when the need arises?

Commercials that work while someone is watching them are hard enough to find.  Ones that also consistently produce results even when not right in front of someone’s eyes are rare.  Combined, you have a winning campaign. That is exactly what Market Masters-Legal has been providing to successful law firms for years, and will continue to do so.  At least until we master that whole Inception thing :-)

One Thing Most Advertising Agencies Will Never Do?

Talk about a former client.

We recently received a call from an attorney who stopped using our program a few years ago.  He decided at that time that he was going to scale back his practice so he could build up his real estate business.  The call was to thank us.  He said he had been meaning to do so for a while.   He said that he made a lot of money as the result of using our TV campaign and is still receiving checks from one particular type of case we informed him about (many hundreds of thousands of dollars, and counting).    He also wanted me to know that a few months following the conclusion of his TV campaign, he received a call from someone who had remembered him from our TV ads.  That case ended up settling for over $900K.

Now, it is very unusual for anyone to leave our program.  The few that have left have generally done so for reasons that have nothing to do with our campaigns (retirement, restructuring, partner dissoultions, career changes and, in one case, divorce). Whatever the reason, it is gratifying to hear from them that they were happy and satisfied with what we provided.  The above is the latest, but not only, example.

In the case of law firms, references from former clients are invaluable.  Ways to best to best capitalize on this diamond mine will be the subject of a future post.