The Super Bowl is often the most-watched television event of the year. It represents 19 of the 20 most-watched television broadcasts in U.S. history. With about 100 million people watching the game each year, it also makes for one the biggest advertising events. A 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl on average costs around $5 million, which is about 43 times the cost of an average national television ad. Due to such high costs and nationwide exposure, advertisers have little room for error in what will be their most viewed advertisement of the year. So here are few things your law firm can take away from some of best and worst Super Bowl commercials of the last few years.
1) Keep It Simple
One of the most common mistakes made by companies during the Super Bowl is over complicating their ads. This seems obvious, yet some commercials will still leave the viewer questioning the point of the ad. A few years ago, Blackberry created an ad to announce the launching of one of its new smart phones. The ad was supposed to show all of the things that the phone couldn’t do versus the things that it could do. It was meant to put a satirical spin on the typical phone ad, but instead left audiences confused. The ad had very little impact on the overall sales for the phone and was seen as a large waste of money.
The process of retaining a lawyer can be seen as complicated and confusing too. Your law firm should put a large emphasis on making sure the steps each client has to go through are clear and concise. It can often turn people away if the process seems too complicated. Keeping it simple and to the point will help your firm increase its signed rate.
2) Be Relatable
The best ads find a way to relate to the viewer. For instance, look at Pepsi’s Every Generation commercial that aired during Super Bowl LII. The ad takes a look at all of the commercials that Pepsi had produced since the start of the company. It speaks to how Pepsi is for everyone and allows the viewer to relate to the commercial in multiple ways.
Being able to relate to your clients is going to be one of the most important parts of building a successful practice. People want to work with someone who can understand what they are going through and relate to their feelings. Building relationships with your clients will hinge off of your firm’s willingness to put itself in their shoes and understand their issues. Developing these kinds of relationships will keep clients coming back, as well as recommending the firm to others.
3) Don’t Be Afraid To Try Something Different
In 2015, every major car brand spent a combined $60 million on advertising during the Super Bowl. One car brand however, decided to take a different route. Instead of spending money on air time, Volvo held a contest in which you could win a brand new Volvo for a friend or family member by tweeting the person you would like to give the car to and #VolvoContest during any car commercial. The idea was brilliant and left viewers focusing on tweeting at Volvo rather than watching the car commercials. Volvo saw around a 70% increase in sales in the month following the Super Bowl and gained around $200 million in earned media impressions.
There are thousands of law firms across the United States, and the majority of them use the exact same marketing avenues. They’ll spend money on TV commercials, Internet ads, billboards, and social media. For the most part, they will rarely stray from these options, but what they don’t realize is that the most successful firms are trying new and different things. For example, try online legal leads. Case leads are a great supplement to any marketing avenues that you already have in place. They are great for firms that are looking to pick up extra cases, but don’t have the time to set up a new marketing platforms. Your firm will retain cases while continuing to focus on its current clients.
If you would like to learn more about our case leads, please give us a call today at 617-800-0089. We are happy to discuss how eGeneration’s case leads can help take your firm’s advertising to the next level!