LegalScoops

Gorgeous Lawyer Advertising Is No Longer An Oxymoron

PRACTICE JULY 12, 2022 BY JACOB MASLOW

Finding the right lawyer to fit people’s legal needs was tricky in the U.S. before the early 1970s since lawyers couldn’t advertise their services. These restrictions made it difficult for lawyers to reach their target clients effectively since they relied on client word of mouth and the signage on their premises.

After the U.S. Supreme Court ruling of 1977, states could no longer prohibit legal and other professionals from advertising, and lawyers could better inform the public of their legal services. According to this resource from the American Bar Association, the Supreme Court pointed out in Bates v. State Bar of Arizona that their decision meant that advertising could help reduce the cost of legal services for consumers.

The latest survey by the ABA in 2020 shows that law firms and independent lawyers use several marketing channels today, with 81% saying they use at least one social media platform. However, video adoption is still slow, with only 24% of respondents (mostly larger law firms) saying it is a marketing tool. Still, advertising on television has grown into a billion-dollar-a-year industry.

Getting results from  legal advertising requires the inside perspective of a professional ad agency with seasoned marketing professionals.

Brantley Davis Focuses on the Details

Legal marketing experts hire Brantley Davis Ad Agency for client advertising. BD/AA’s work for some of the U.S.’s most successful law firms makes their advertising instantly recognizable, thanks to their clever marketing.

The results speak for themselves, with client reviews showing increased cases, record call volumes, and higher revenue. Saturday Night Live and Jimmy Kimmel parodied their ads for Cellino & Barnes, a law firm that closed but still gets loads of hits.

Founded by Brantley Davis, an award-winning writer, BD/AA provides complete advertising services for law firms, financial institutions, automotive retailers, and advocacy groups. The ad agency’s incredibly successful advertising campaigns prove the team’s dedication to each campaign.

Mr. Davis, with over thirty years of experience, writes and directs for the Washington D.C. marketing agency. The agency’s team follows its founder’s principles with marketing tactics that provide creative hooks, the right media spots, and competitive frequency benchmarking, helping to keep it in the spotlight.

“Our ads have been “borrowed” coast to coast and into Canada,” says  Brantley Davis, President of BD/AA. “Lawyers come to our agency for their legal marketing to achieve a higher-end product that works harder for their firms.”

Even the most insignificant detail is essential to the perfect result. Therefore, every agency member makes their own professional contribution to the final result. First and foremost, Brantley Davis directs the players, including the attorneys, ensuring a solid impact. After that, only the best footage makes it to the final editing process, where powerful editing tools help create perfect client images.

With +20 years of experience, the agency’s experienced directors of photography have shot major motion pictures and understand how to capture the beauty of each scene.

According to Brantley Davis, music portrays a powerful message in advertising and cannot appear as an afterthought in a marketing spot. Therefore, choosing the musical theme is as important as the marketing spot’s writing, direction, cinematography, and editing.

Brantley Davis – Getting Gorgeous Ads Seen

Generating legal cases means more than just making quality ads; it also requires negotiating impactful media time at the best rates. The media landscape has become highly competitive, and Brantley Davis knows it inside out. So besides knowing which law firms have which spot on television, they use a winning approach to plan and negotiate media times at the lowest possible rates.

With a history steeped in law firm media, Brantley Davis sold airtime to personal injury firms at Washington DC’s WDCA-TV. Today he remains personally involved with the whole media strategy and tactics for each client. Another person playing a significant role in getting ads seen is Sherri Franklin, media supervisor at BD/AA. Ms. Franklin has decades of experience negotiating for some of America’s most prominent brands, including Pepsi.

Last Take

Gorgeous lawyer advertising is no longer an oxymoron. Still, it does require professionals to help meet the ethics requirements, perfection in writing and filming, and getting those ads seen by the people that need to find an attorney.

Brantley Davis has a rich tradition in legal advertising with memorable campaigns, and creative hooks, including the unforgettable “What’s Your Case Worth?”