11/03/2010 // 315 South Olive Avenue, Florida, West Palm Beach // Rene Perras…… Le Buzz // Rene Perras
Law Firm Marketing News– We have all seen the pharmaceutical TV commercials asking if you have a slew of symptoms, and in return offering a cure-all drug to treat your medical illness. But the catch is, these “medical diseases” are typically rare, affecting a relativity small number of people, instead of the millions portrayed in these commercials.
Welcome to the world of “disease branding,” where generally rare or exaggerated medical conditions are branded as a “disease,” misleading consumers to think that they may have a disease that requires a drug. The pharmaceutical drug makers have found a way to effectively market to consumers by selling the diseases rather than the products, which could potentially be the ultimate marketing ploy to hit our society.
Lawyers have been branded by big business, the healthcare industry and insurance companies as the problem, just like pharmaceutical companies have done with “disease branding, where they presented the problem (the disease) and then offered a solution (the pharmaceutical drug). The pharmaceutical manufacturers and insurance companies have identified lawyers to be the “problem,” claiming they’re “ambulance chasers” who file frivolous lawsuits, consequently driving up premiums and healthcare costs. So, the solution was and still is, for big business to vilify the attorney’s image. This continues to influence the public’s perception, making it easier to pass restrictive laws and limit regular folk’s access to the courts.
But, not all hope is lost, if done correctly; lawyers can take out that hot branding iron and re-brand themselves as the champions of the civil justice system.
Just as pharmaceutical companies have done, law firms need to market their services properly. As CNN reported, “To brand a disease is to shape its public perception in order to make it more palatable to potential patients.” Lawyers can also make their services “more palatable” by working on their image.
Too often lawyers are looking at the bottom line and how much traffic they have flowing into their offices, when they should be concentrating more on their image. A balanced and emotional approach, which reaches out to the consumer instead of focusing strictly on how much money they can recover will help the re-branding process.
An American Bar Association survey stated, “public confidence in lawyers remains weak because of poor basic client relationships and little attention to communication,” as reported in the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
This type of re-branding is tricky. Branding your law firm requires expertise in the lawyer marketing arena to effectively change the attorney’s negative image.
The brand and reputation mangers at Cepac have over 20 years experience in creating and maintaining positive and powerful law firm communications. Our law firm marketing experts can help your law firm implement top-notch advertising and Internet campaigns, as well as traditional marketing mediums like television, radio and print. For more information on effective law firm marketing, contact Rene Perras.
Media Information:
Address:
Phone: 720-ONE-RENE
Url: Lawyer marketing – Rene Perras
