Millions of people around the world are watching the Beijing Olympics this month, but viewers here in Wisconsin will see something their counterparts in other states and nations won't: a 30-second spot produced by the State Bar of Wisconsin underscoring the essential contributions made by attorneys to families, communities, and society at large.
Inside the Bar
August 2008
State Bar ads airing during Olympic coverage
remind viewers of the contributions made by Wisconsin attorneys
Millions of people around the world are watching the Beijing Olympics
this month, but viewers here in Wisconsin will see something their
counterparts
in other states and nations won't: a 30-second spot produced by the
State Bar
of Wisconsin underscoring the essential contributions made by attorneys
to
families, communities, and society at large.
"These ads are part of the Bar's `Branding the Profession'
initiative launched in 2002 to educate the public about the value of
attorneys,"
notes Public Image Committee Chair Michael Jassak. "Most of the ads
we have
created since 2002 have focused on the community service contributions
of local
attorneys in specific geographical regions and were aired in targeted
media
markets, including Milwaukee, Madison, Appleton/Green Bay or the La
Crosse/Eau
Claire television markets. The new ad is tailored to a statewide
audience."
The spot identifies some of the challenges facing citizens in
our
modern society - including natural disasters and domestic violence - and
reminds
viewers that lawyers are there to help navigate them through life's
difficult
and important moments by protecting their rights.
Jassak explained that a survey of state and local bar leaders
completed
in 2000 revealed that more than three-fourths of the respondents
believed that
the State Bar should lead a message development campaign on behalf of
members
to improve the image of the profession.
The focus of the Bar's branding effort encompasses the three key
qualities that polling data suggest the public values most about
lawyers: expert
advice, problem solving, and community service.
The spot will air more than 700 times on three cable channels:
USA, CNBC,
and MSNBC, all of which will carry extensive Olympic coverage.
Inside the
Bar