CNN puts legal ads on retainer

Cable World, Jan 22, 2001

With an eye toward opening a new advertising category, CNN last week began airing its first ad campaign from a law firm client.

Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison is spending $3.5 million on image ads this year that will run on multiple networks and platforms, including CNN, CNN Headline News, CNNfn, CNN Airport Network and CNN Web sites.

CNN Sales and Marketing president Larry Goodman says he believes law firms can become a significant source of ad spending.

"It remains to be seen it it's groundbreaking in terms of other following," he says. "It's groundbreaking in terms of being the first."

Up until now, the only ads from law firms CNN has run have been occasional spots about class-action lawsuits.

While some firms debate the ethics of professional advertising, firms such as Brobeck foresee consolidation in the industry and insist that being branded will give them an edge, Goodman says.

"Leading the charge and getting their name out there first as a brand name international blue-chip law firm was important," he says.

Brobeck bought its ad time during the upfront for advertisers who run on a calendar year schedule, as opposed to a TV year, which begins with the fall premieres.

Goodman says he's noticed some weakness in prices during the upfront and that CNN hasn't been getting the kind of increases it expected as it renewed its clients.

It hasn't cut rates, either.

"Networks that lock in low CPMs now are going to regret it," he says. "I don't believe the softness in the ad business is going to last four quarters."