Don’t underestimate the value of brand strategy when developing creative for an effective legal commercial. We all remember a few ads that have really stuck with us, whether for sheer shock value or powerful storytelling.

However, a strong commercial is not just made up of wild visuals, boundary-pushing themes or a good old-fashioned story. The best creative marries impact with message in a way that immediately connects your brand with what’s on the screen—and leaves a lasting impression on your audience.

The goal is to make sure viewers can not only recall a commercial’s “scene” or the “theme,” but also its associated brand—the name, logo, slogan and other defining characteristics that make your firm different or better than the competition. It’s a careful combination of breaking through the competitive clutter, but also linking your commercial’s message and visuals back to what really matters: brand. After all, new clients will only come knocking if they can remember who you are and what you do.

The Best of the Best
The commercials that actually achieve this directive might be surprising. For example, in a recent Nielsen analysis of consumer packaged goods (CPG) TV ads, Ocean Spray’s “Men in a Cranberry Bog” commercial came out on top for the ads consumers not only enjoyed but linked with the brand itself. Others in the top five for brand recall were Frebreze’s “Experiment – Week’s Worth of Bad Odors,” Dr. Scholl’s “You’re Not My Dad,” Smucker’s “Boys Play Hide & Seek on Farm” and Bush’s Beans’ “Opening Day of Summer.”

We can learn from the effective creative and brand strategy in these commercials. All seemed to hit the middle ground of having a message that both resonated through uniqueness, personalization or humor, but ultimately kept brand close at hand to drive sales. Here are a few other tried-and-true brand strategies to consider when creating your next legal commercial:

1. Stay simple. Get to the point quickly and attach the message to your brand immediately. However compelling, creative with a complicated storyline will only confuse.
2. Be different. Start with strong thematic or visual impact in the first few seconds, but quickly tie this back to brand. A consistent underlying brand is what builds the all-important trust factor.
3. Repeat it. Whether it’s your firm name, a catchy defining slogan or visual brand, you’ve got to say it or show it early and often to make a deep impression.
4. Leverage assets. If you have a strong icon or mark associated with your firm, use it to maintain a visual tie to your brand throughout the commercial.
5. Tell a story. A real-life scenario helps viewers connect emotionally with your brand. If they can relate to a storyline, you’ve already got them hooked.