17
The Power of Slogans
Posted by admin | Posted in Marketing | Posted on 17-06-2004
A slogan is an important part of your firm’s marketing message: generally, firm names (Smith & Jones, The Law Offices of John Johnson, etc.) do not contain a message about who you are, what you do (beyond practice law), or why the consumer would want to do business with you. A firm slogan does these things. If you don’t have a firm slogan, it’s time to put one to work for you.
Consider the importance and memorability of these slogans:
Just Do It! (Nike)
Kills ’em Dead (Raid)
Built Like a Rock (Chevy Trucks)
The Ultimate Driving Machine (BMW)
Um, um, um, um, um, toasty! (Quizanos)
Run for the Border (Taco Bell)
The Rock (Prudential)
Like a good neighbor… (State Farm)
Notice each slogan communicates something unique about the firm that is significant to the consumer.
If the message in your current slogan could apply to most law firms or generally to the practice of law, you are missing an opportunity to brand your firm in a way that will make your firm stand out from others. The following are probably good slogans; they are also probably true, and they may contain an element of interest to consumers. However, since they could be applied to just about any law firm, they do not make any law firm stand out.
On Your Side
Here When You Need Us
Let Us Guide You
Know Your Rights
Don’t Get Hurt Twice
To persuade a potential client looking for legal representation in an advertising medium (such as the yellow pages directory), the firm slogan needs to communicate something unique about a practice, and that “something unique” needs to be of value to the potential client.
The following slogans do set firms apart. But, their slogans miss the “what’s in it for me” message that is critical to generate consumer interest and a telephone call.
Serving the County for 17 Years
Three Generations of Service
To be effective at generating new clients, slogans need to:
1) set the firm apart, and
2) offer something of value to the consumer.
Recently, I was working with a firm that had been using “Remember we don’t get paid until you win” as their slogan for four or five years. It was an effective slogan. It set the firm apart from other firms and it offered something of value to the consumer. However, other firms in the area saw its value and they started using similar terms (not as slogans, just bullet points) in their print advertising.
As I thumbed through the yellow pages directory, I found the following text in the ads that preceded my client’s ad in the directory.
All personal injury cases are handled on a contingency-fee basis.
No Fee Unless Successful Recovery
No Fees Unless You Win
Contingency Fees 1/3 – Never Higher
No Attorney Fees Unless We Are Successful
No Fee Unless We Recover For You
Six of the seven ads that appeared before my client’s ad had scooped my client’s slogan! The only one that did not make reference to not getting paid until settlement or unless recovery was made was a family law advertisement.
Imitation may be flattering, but in this instance it sure robbed my client the power of his slogan. (When you develop your slogan, be certain to make it a slogan that cannot be imitated.) Clearly it was time to change my client’s slogan.
When I presented my client with the need to change his slogan, he hesitated. After all, he had “invested five years of time and money promoting” his practice through this slogan. After this much of an investment, is it wise to change a firm’s slogan?
