Group Advertiser Dominates in the City of Angels

Here’s a question. Name me another city besides Los Angeles where the dominant TV legal advertiser is a group advertising effort…. in Spanish.

That’s right. Los Defensores, the brainchild of Walker Advertising founder Maryann Walker, has been the dominant #1 TV spender in the LA basin for several years. In 2008 , Nielsen estimated this group advertising program spent almost $10 million on local broadcast TV in Los Angeles

But it doesn’t stop there. In 2002, Walker started a second legal group advertising Hispanic brand geared towards younger people – Alivio Legal. And, not to leave the non-Spanish speaking population without any choices, Walker also advertises under the English language group advertising brand – 1-800-THE-LAW2.

Nielsen estimated these two brands accounted for $1.5 and $2.5 million in TV spending in 2008. Do the math – that’s $14 million combined.

A quick look at the brands of the English-speaking law firms on TV reveal how thoroughly these group advertising programs have chocked off competition.

Larry Parker has been around awhile and continues to spend at decent levels (Nielsen reported $3.7 million in 2008).

Judging by its website, the law firm of R. Rex Parris looks like it is attempting to brand a reputable brand.

Jacoby & Meyers throws just enough money into LA to lay a sliver of a claim to a brand there.

Russ Brown appears to have carved out the motorcycle accident niche in this market. (If you have ever lived in LA, like I have, and seen how motorcycles weave through rush hour traffic, you know Russ has picked a good niche to practice.)

But, judging by their anemic advertising weight, none of these firms appears to have more than a toehold in the market and the falloff after them is stunning. There were several firms that spent over a half million dollars on TV in LA in 2008 that I can’t even find online!

For now the local LA firms can be lazy about building brands. They can find clients the old fashioned way – the honest ones with referrals and the dishonest ones with runners. If they need to supplement their caseload, I’m sure that Walker Advertising would be happy to put them into one of their group advertising programs.

But the most saturated attorney TV market in the country, Las Vegas, lies just 231 miles to the east. It’s packed with ambitious law firms that know how to throw their weight around on TV.

And, some of the more savvy firms east of the Mississippi are setting out on the westward trails to seek their fame and fortunes.

It won’t be easy or cheap but Los Angeles is too promising a market to ignore for much longer. There are a lot of people in LA who don’t watch Hispanic programming. Some firm is going to make a play there. With the right branding and the right amount of cash, it will give Walker a run for its money.

But, what the heck, given the success of Los Defensores, why am I talking in English?

“La revolucion no es una manzana que cae cuando esta madura. Tu tienes que hacerla caer.” Che Guevara