By: Kara Johnson
Remember that guy? Who came in second at the last New York Marathon? Neither do we. Winning is everything.
Catches your attention, no? This is the script of one of the new commercials aired by Jacoby and Meyers, a full-service law firm. In a new marketing campaign, Jacoby and Meyers is taking a notably different approach to their personal injury practice TV advertisements than they have in the past. We’ve all seen the advertisements for personal injury lawyers (and probably rolled our eyes at them) where a tough talking lawyer informs us that we have options if we’ve been injured in an accident and then promises us revenge and justice if we just call their office.
By now, most people don’t pay much attention to these advertisements, since all of them seem the same and have the same message, regardless of the law firm. For the majority of the population, they probably aren’t even relevant anyway. Psychology shows that people are much more likely to listen to a message and be receptive to a message if it personally relates to them. Therefore, due to the repetitive nature and lack of relevance, most people probably tune these commercials out. However, by changing the message and format of their advertisements and adding in some humor, Jacoby and Meyers can potentially separate themselves from the other advertisers and stimulate renewed attention to their message.
Rather than having a tough talking lawyer assault you from the TV screen, the three new Jacoby and Meyers commercials are devoid of people. They are comprised of a simple black background with clever statements in white lettering; the advertising message is narrated by a male voice with music playing in the background. What stands out the most in these commercials from previous Jacoby and Meyers commercials is that they employ humor in their messages. In addition to the commercial message described at the beginning of this blog, another commercial shows portraits of the historical figures Horatio Seymour, Charles C. Pinckney, Hugh L. White and Lewis Cass (all losing opponents in Presidential elections) while “Hail to the Chief” plays in the background. Then, a voice says “Presidential elections are like lawsuits. You’re nobody unless you win.” The third commercial states, “They say it doesn’t matter if you win or lose. As long as you tried your best. They probably weren’t rear-ended by a truck.”
