{"id":5828,"date":"2004-04-11T22:59:16","date_gmt":"2004-04-12T02:59:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/formerlyknownas\/2004\/04\/11\/another-lap-around-law-firm-b"},"modified":"2011-08-05T14:58:53","modified_gmt":"2011-08-05T18:58:53","slug":"another-lap-around-law-firm-branding-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2004\/04\/11\/another-lap-around-law-firm-branding-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Another Lap Around Law Firm Branding"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Recent press about a NASCAR-sponsoring law firm has once again left me puzzled as to just how the client benefits from the branding efforts of lawyers. (E.g., <\/EM>AP\/ESPN, Firm sponsors Cup, Busch, Truck teams<\/A>; Larry Bodine’s Law Marketing <\/A>Blog; and here<\/A>)<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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\"checkered  The La Plata, Maryland, law firm of Jenkins, Jenkins & Jenkins<\/A> apparently decided last winter to use a connection with NASCAR motorsports as a branding and marketing tool.   The three-lawyer firm includes Louis P. Jenkins, Sr., who founded the firm in 1955, and his two sons, Frank and Louis, Jr..  Frank Jenkins is the moving force behind the motorsport connection.  In the A\/P article, he explains:<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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“Anytime you are involved in a legal situation it’s pretty unsettling. People want a friend there.  <\/FONT>They see we are involved in stock car racing as a sponsor and feel we have something in common — a love of racing. So they call to ask us to help.”<\/FONT><\/P>
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“We’re in motorsports to get our name out there, to receive brand recognition and to let NASCAR fans know we are as big a fan as they are.”<\/FONT><\/P><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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To make sure the link to auto racing won’t be missed, the firm’s website domain name is  racinglaw.com\/<\/A> .  It’s doesn’t “do” Racing Law, of course.  Instead, the firm appears to favor<\/A> personal injury law, and lists its practice areas as Automobile Accidents; Corporate; <\/FONT>Criminal; <\/FONT>DUI\/DWI & Traffic; <\/FONT>Divorce; <\/FONT>Medical Malpractice; <\/FONT>Personal Injury; <\/FONT>Real Estate Settlements; and <\/FONT>Wrongful Death.  <\/FONT><\/FONT><\/P>
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It’s a little hard to understand why this very-local law firm is seeking national attention and clients.  Unfortunately, the firm’s About Us page<\/A> gives no information at all about the founder, and has only the picture and name of Louis, Jr.   However, Frank Jenkins is said to be a member of the Maryland Bar (since 1993).  Although Frank’s short bio gives us the names of his high school and college, we are merely told “Mr. Jenkins graduated from law school.” (Given the NASCAR image he is cultivating, I wonder if Frank is covering up graduation from a highly prestigious law school.)  <\/FONT><\/P>
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\"car  I don’t know how much money it costs to become a major sponsor on the NASCAR circuit.  Clearly, very little of the firm’s marketing budget went into the content of its website.  Although we learn that “We are committed to providing aggressive representation for our clients” in personal injury cases, there is not one word of substantive information about any of the practice areas.  The Resources\/Links page<\/A> has two<\/EM> law-related sites — the ABA and the Maryland Bar Association.  It also includes a number of race driver fan websites, and a link to the law firm’s public relations<\/A> firm.<\/FONT><\/P>
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How does the law client benefit from this expensive branding campaign?  Is getting “a friend” who shares your love of motor-racing advantageous to the “upset” personal injury client?  The DUI defendant?  <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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