In law firm marketing, TV commercials have always been a primary channel for promotion and attorneys rely on them heavily to get the word out about their practices. For some perspective: in 2018 alone, trial lawyers collectively spent $226 million on TV advertising!
When done right, TV commercials can help you potentially reach the masses, boost your brand awareness, and even get new clients. TV ads make a great "traditional marketing" compliment to things like your law firm SEO marketing efforts.
To one up each other, attorneys (and ad agencies) come up with creative gems that set examples of top-notch advertising in the legal industry.
In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the best lawyer commercials that have aired on TV, going over:
- Overall Great Legal TV Commercials
- Funny Lawyer Commercials
- Emotional and Wholesome Lawyer TV Ads
- Running Your First TV Commercial: How to Get Started
Overall Great Legal TV Commercials
Let’s start off with some generic lawyer commercials that don’t fit into one specific category, but check all the boxes of great advertising.
1. “Champ Commercial” by Gomez Trial Attorneys
This energy-charged TV commercial by Gomez Trial Attorneys is a great lesson at indirect self-promotion.
They made this ad solely for highlighting their support for the Community Youth Athletic Center that offers a community service program for the at-risk youth of San Diego.
What makes this ad great is that there’s not a single mention of the legal services that Gomez Trial Attorneys offer. The main focus is to highlight the noble cause that the CYAC is working for — in a rather engaging way — while speaking about the corporate social responsibility efforts of the firm.
The commercial concludes with a call-to-action asking the audience to “be a champ for these kids” by visiting the firm’s website.
2. Mike Morse Law Firm 2021 Super Bowl Commercial
Next on the list is this silent-film commercial for Mike Morse Law Firm, taking us back to the 1920s.
The minute-long ad shows a mysterious “masked man” (who is attorney Michael J. Morse himself) helping out fellow citizens.
Without uttering a single word, the commercial captures the essence of the personal injury law firm’s mission to go out of their way to help their clients.
3. “The Walkers” TV Commercial for The Law Offices of Scott Foster
Produced for The Law Offices of Scott Foster, this high-budget commercial was aired during the Season 5 premiere of AMC’s The Walking Dead.
Getting the timing right in TV advertising can be tricky. Needless to say, the commercial above (produced by Attorney Ad Pros) got everything right.
Comparing insurance companies to zombies, the ad shows two heroes (attorneys) saving a person who just got injured (a client).Fans of the show tuning in to watch the season premiere immediately fell in love with it.
4. Jamie Casino’s 2018 Super Bowl Commercial
In a world where many injury lawyers use fear to sell their legal services, this unique commercial from Jamie Casino is a breath of fresh air.
It highlights a very serious problem: Underhanded advertising tactics that have unfortunately plagued the space of injury law.
The TV ad then brings attention to injury attorney Jamie Casino, portraying him as the protagonist raising his voice against this practice and vowing to do things differently.
Funny Lawyer Commercials
A little humor can go a long way in creating an ad that gets people talking about your law firm.
Below, we’ve shared some of the funniest lawyer commercials aired in recent years.
5. “The Hammer!” 2019 Super Bowl Commercial by Isaacs & Isaacs Personal Injury Lawyers
If you like superhero movies, you’re going to love this action-packed commercial for Isaacs & Isaacs Personal Injury Attorneys.
Definitely a big-budget asset, it compares insurance companies that try to buy people with small checks to supervillains. Before you know it, attorney Darryl Isaacs — co-founder of Isaacs & Isaacs — swoops in dressed as a superhero called “The Hammer” and saves the day.
One thing that we can learn from this commercial is to think outside of the box and get creative, even if you’re promoting something as serious as a PI legal service.
6. “Hammer In Space!” 2020 Super Bowl Commercial by Isaacs & Isaacs Personal Injury Lawyers
Another big-budget commercial by Isaacs & Isaacs, this time, the PI attorney takes us to outer space.
It depicts big insurance companies as an intergalactic militia, forcing a small check on someone who was just involved in an accident.
In classic Darryl Isaacs fashion, “The Hammer” arrives just in time to teach the bad guys a lesson and get his client the compensation they deserve.
7. Trolman, Glaser, and Lichtman’s Commercial
An injury attorney, no matter how good they are, can’t help every single person that comes to them (especially if it’s due to a minor inconvenience). That’s exactly what the main idea of this hilarious commercial is. Instead of making grand promises, the Trolman, Glaser, and Lichtman law firm admit that there are some cases even they can’t win, emphasizing the need to make sure that you’re actually injured before getting in touch with them.
Emotional Lawyer TV Ads
At times, attorneys leverage emotional factors in their TV commercials to influence their target audience.
Here are a few good examples of such ads.
8. The Brough Law Firm TV Commercial
Powerful storytelling is the secret to effective video marketing.
This TV commercial — produced by Crisp Video — for The Brough Law Firm had the right idea.
It features two case stories of actual clients, narrating how they got rid of their unlawful criminal charges thanks to the firm.
All in all, the advertisement is short, to-the-point, and doesn’t include any unrealistic promises. It’s pure social proof.
9. Mirman, Markovits & Landau PC’s Ad
This emotional ad for Mirman Markovits & Landau PC starts off by bringing our attention to the horrors of birth injury.
In doing so, it instantly captures the attention of their target audience — parents going through the same emotional turmoil.
The commercial then moves on to talk about the possibility of compensation and wraps up with a clear call-to-action.
10. Trantolo & Trantolo
Pivoting on the importance of family, this commercial for Trantolo & Trantolo immediately forms an emotional connection with the audience.
It talks about the extent to which you’d go to protect your family and then introduces the law firm, along with what they can do for you in case they’re injured.
Adhering to the best practices of legal advertising, the commercial provides a call-to-action and concludes by displaying the contact details of the firm.
11. Harris Personal Injury Lawyers 2019 Super Bowl Commercial
This feel-good ad for the Harris Personal Injury Lawyers is a lesson in how to win the hearts of people living in a specific community.
After talking about the amazing people thriving in the Central Coast of California, the commercial shifts your attention to big insurance companies that don’t care about this community.
It then introduces the law firm, talking about why they care and how they can help those people get the compensation they deserve.
Running Your First TV Commercial: How to Get Started
If you’re considering running a TV commercial for your legal practice, it’s only natural to feel a little nervous and have second thoughts.
After all, a TV ad is usually a staggering investment, costing thousands of dollars.
However, if you know what you’re doing, have a solid plan, and a significant amount of money to spare, a commercial might be the thing you need to boost your marketing.
Here are some practical tips that will help you in your journey.
Evaluate Where You Currently Stand
First and foremost, you need to decide whether investing in a TV commercial is the smartest option for your firm.
Here are a few things to consider when making this decision:
- Your Practice: If you're just starting out, you might want to take it slow. Build some social proof before appearing in front of the masses. Furthermore, ask yourself if you’d be prepared to handle the influx of new leads if you invested in a TV commercial.
- Budget: Do you genuinely have the budget for a quality commercial? Even if you cut corners in production, you’ll still need to pay for airtime (more on this shortly).
- Goals: Finally, determine what you want to achieve by investing in a commercial. Think of clear, strategic goals that will help your legal practice. For example, running an ad can help build up strong brand awareness.
Factor in all of the above before thinking about a concept, setting a budget, or hiring an ad agency.
Setting a Budget
Compared to online advertising, the cost of TV advertising is much higher.
For that simple reason, you need to set a clear budget to avoid burning cash.
The two main types of costs associated with TV advertising include:
- Cost of Production: This covers everything involved in production, such as the ad agency, actor(s), direction, editing/CGI, etc. According to Creative Humans, a 30 second TV commercial can be produced for as low as $10,000.
- Cost of Airtime: You pay to have your ad aired on national or local television. Prime time costs — i.e. a period during which a large number of people watch TV (such as Super Bowl) — are much higher. The average airtime cost of a 30-second commercial on US National TV is $115,000.
At this point, you can also start setting realistic expectations about what you can get.
Of course, if you have a budget of $10,000, you can’t expect Hollywood-level CGI or a major celebrity making an appearance.
Similarly, you can’t expect to run an ad during the Super Bowl on a relatively modest budget.
Hiring an Ad Agency
Next, you have to find an ad agency to help with production (and airing your commercial on television).Here are some quick tips to help you shortlist the right agency:
- Actively look for agencies that specialize in making ads for law firms.
- Look at their portfolios and see the level of work they produce.
- Ask them for the end-results of their ads (if the stats are less than impressive, look for other options).
- Ask for average pricing and compare with others.
At this point, you should have a rough idea of the main message you want to deliver through your ad. The agency you shortlist will ask you to share that information, along with your marketing goals in a “brief.”They will then use that information to come up with creative concepts to pitch to you. If you don’t like the concepts, you’re well within your rights to shoot them down and request new ones.
Once an idea has been locked and loaded, the production will begin and before you know it, you’ll see your commercial on television.
Some Final Tips
Here are some additional, yet crucial tips that will help ensure the money you invest in your commercial generates great results:
- Leverage powerful storytelling to get your point across. Emotional case stories usually perform well. The creatives at the ad agency you hire should help you out.
- Get in front of the camera yourself. Traditionally, attorneys have always appeared in their commercials. This may help make you seem more trustworthy.
- Pick your spots strategically. If you only offer your legal services to a certain area/community, you’re better off airing your advertisement on local TV.
Finally, remember that you ‘l have full rights to your commercial (i.e. the actual video). After production, you can repurpose it as a YouTube and/or Facebook ad to get maximum returns on your investment.
Ending Note
A TV commercial is a big investment.
If all goes well, it can definitely be worth every single penny you spend.
With a little creative thought, and help from a decent ad agency, you can create an amazing commercial like the ones above. Just make sure they aren't like the ones in this list of bad lawyer commercials.
Your ad may not necessarily go viral, but as long as it achieves its goals and brings substantial results, it will be a worthwhile investment.
