The battle for Atlanta appears to have heated up the first quarter of 2008. Market leader Montlick upped his TV weight. Gary Martin Hays made a huge push to move into 2nd position on TV. John Morgan upped his TV weight considerably. Ken Nugent held firm but this was not enough to keep him from slipping in the ranks, down to 3rd place.

Overall, the attorney broadcast TV advertising in Atlanta was up 100 TRPs (adults 25-54) per week over 2007. Given the cost of buying TV in Atlanta, that is a lot of extra money being thrown around in that town. It moves Atlanta back into the top 10 most saturated markets in the country for attorney broadcast TV advertising.

As I have written before, the battle for Atlanta has huge implications for the rest of the south and perhaps for the rest of the country as well. John Morgan, the behemoth from Florida, has made it very clear he has national ambitions. His entry into Atlanta in 2006 was a clear indication he was backing his words with aggressive actions. If Atlanta falls to him, there are very few markets in the south that are safe.

So far, the established firms in Atlanta appear to be fighting back successfully. But does anyone have an answer for the battlechest he has at his disposal and the Machiavellian strategy of shifting alliances that he employs?

Since we are in an election year, perhaps we can anticipate that the combat will ease as the cost of TV escalates up to election day. We shall see.