Would You Run This Ad?

At Law Firm Blogging, Nathan Burke offers this stand-out ad with the tagline “800 Pound Gorillas are great at getting your attention…but does that make them the right attorney for you?”  As Burke admits, the ad might be a bit “out there,” but the point is valid:

just getting your name out there is not enough for small firms. You can’t just say why clients should come to you; you also need to address why clients should not go to the big guys.

I’m not sure if I like the ad, but Burke is on to something.  Most of the books about marketing small firm practices assume that solos all target small consumer clients, where tools like yellow pages or library seminars or setting up a booth at the county fair will attract clients.  In reality, the more recent trend in solo practice is where smaller lawyers compete with the big boys in areas like securities, complex litigation, energy regulation, telecom and other traditionally biglaw practice.  Yellow pages and local gigs don’t help attract these types of business clients; the ad such as that suggested by Burke is at least a good start in the right direction.

6 Comments

  1. Nathan Burke on June 29, 2006 at 6:18 am

    Thanks for the link to my gorilla ad! I’m also not sure if I like the ad….like I say it’s VERY rough. But it’s the idea that is behind it that resonates.
    Thanks again.



  2. Nathan Burke on June 29, 2006 at 6:18 am

    Thanks for the link to my gorilla ad! I’m also not sure if I like the ad….like I say it’s VERY rough. But it’s the idea that is behind it that resonates.
    Thanks again.



  3. RJON@HowToMakeItRain.com on June 30, 2006 at 7:00 am

    This message is to Nathan Burke:
    I saw your “not sure I like it either” comment on My shingle & felt an overpowering urge to set you straight:
    Your 800 pound gorilla ad is great. How can you have any doubt of that?
    It’s great for all the reasons that all the lawyers who are busy copying eachother don’t like it. It’s great because it’s honest about not just the message it sends overtly, but also about the fact that there’s a real person behind it & not some stuffed-shirt. It’s great because it tells prospective clients what they want to know, not what some law firm marketing director thinks they should want to know.
    Hoooray for Nathan’s great ad! I just wish I’d thought of it first. To read more about more about the marketing mistakes lawyers in small law firms are making (and what to do about it) please check out my website & download my FREE e-book entitled Ten Rainmaking Mistakes Made By Solo Practitioners
    Respectfully,



  4. RJON@HowToMakeItRain.com on June 30, 2006 at 7:00 am

    This message is to Nathan Burke:
    I saw your “not sure I like it either” comment on My shingle & felt an overpowering urge to set you straight:
    Your 800 pound gorilla ad is great. How can you have any doubt of that?
    It’s great for all the reasons that all the lawyers who are busy copying eachother don’t like it. It’s great because it’s honest about not just the message it sends overtly, but also about the fact that there’s a real person behind it & not some stuffed-shirt. It’s great because it tells prospective clients what they want to know, not what some law firm marketing director thinks they should want to know.
    Hoooray for Nathan’s great ad! I just wish I’d thought of it first. To read more about more about the marketing mistakes lawyers in small law firms are making (and what to do about it) please check out my website & download my FREE e-book entitled Ten Rainmaking Mistakes Made By Solo Practitioners
    Respectfully,



  5. Nathan Burke on June 30, 2006 at 7:28 am

    I really should have worded my comment better. I absolutely love the ad….it’s the wording I am not 100% happy with. I put it together rather quickly because I loved the idea, but something about the wording doesn’t work with me.



  6. Nathan Burke on June 30, 2006 at 7:28 am

    I really should have worded my comment better. I absolutely love the ad….it’s the wording I am not 100% happy with. I put it together rather quickly because I loved the idea, but something about the wording doesn’t work with me.



Leave a Comment