Volume 159, No. 182

Ankin Law Office deploysStickman to attract clientsBY JENN BALLARDLaw Bulletin staff writer

On his way to the pharmacy,Stickman avoids three potentialaccidents — getting hit by a pileof bricks, a car striking him andtripping on a crack in thesidewalk.His luck runs out when a

distracted pharmacist gives himthe wrong prescription, causinghis head to more than double insize when he takes the medicine.This isn’t a scene from a

children’s cartoon.It’s part of Ankin Law Office

LLC’s new advertising campaign,which features a cartooncharacter getting hurt in avariety of ways that can lead tolawsuits.“I’m confident we’ve discov-

ered a better way to communi-cate, where to turn when you’veexperienced an injury,” saidHoward H. Ankin, owner andpartner at Ankin Law Office.“And it was time for a

campaign that focuses on theclient and not just the lawyer.”The campaign features both

TV and print ads starringStickman, the cartoon characterused to represent the client in thedifferent scenarios. The first tele-vision spot aired Sept. 2; they’rerunning on the WBBM Channel2, WLS Channel 7, WGN channel9 and on WCIU Channel 26.The firm created five 30-

second commercials based oncases Ankin has handled.“It helps the public know or

become more aware of what apersonal-injury lawyer is,” Ankinsaid. “These commercialsbasically illustrate the types of

cases that a personal-injurylawyer handles.”In “Rear End Collision —

Personal Injury,” Stickman stopsproperly behind the line at arailroad crossing but is rear-ended by the car behind him.In “Injured at Work,”

Stickman suffers arm injurieswhen he’s lifting a heavy packagewhile working on a loading dock.In “Workers’ Compensation,”

Stickman falls into a hole whileworking on a construction sitebut is supported by the two 2-by-4s that he’s carrying. Then,he suffers leg injuries due to aforklift.While Stickman is standing in

the road taking pictures of afender bender between his carand a cab, in “Hit and Run —Personal Injury,” he’s hit by atruck.Each commercial closes with

the tag line: “For injury law, thechoice is simple,” followed by thefirm’s name and phone number.Ankin, who has practiced

personal-injury law for twodecades, said he wanted to“create more of a public serviceannouncement.”“Consumers have grown tired

of the typical personal-injurylawyer ‘Injured? Call me,’commercial,” he said. “Lawyersneed to provide more upscaleadvertising for the public.”Ankin hopes the commercials

— which appear on the firm’swebsite at ankinlaw.com/ankin-television-commercials-list.html— help his firm stand out.“In a smaller city, it may be

easier for your reputation toprecede you, but in theChicagoland area, it really takes

a lot of effort to differentiateyour skills and abilities,” he said.“No matter how good a

commercial is, providing goodlegal services is paramount. Butif I can garner one client fromthe advertising, that client willhopefully refer five friends whoneed assistance.”So far, the response he’s gotten

is from defense attorneys, Ankinsaid.“I’ve gotten some calls and

e-mails from opposing counselactually who said, ‘I know I’mnot your target audience, but Ienjoyed it,’” he said.Ankin worked with advertising

agency Eric Revels Creative Co.(ERC) to create the campaign.“We realized that we would

stand out far more by shiftingthe focus of the advertising awayfrom lawyers themselves andtoward the people they serve,”said Eric Revels, principal atERC.“Stickman symbolizes anyone

who could be injured in anaccident. We shifted theparadigm to all about the client.”The Stickman character will

also appear on the firm’sFacebook and YouTube pages.Ankin hopes to create morecommercials, including oneabout texting and driving.“Even if they don’t like the ads,

hopefully they’ll be able to sensethe amount of time and effort Iput into it,” he said about thenine-month project.“And they’ll see that I really

care about making sure all the i’sare dotted and the t’s arecrossed. And that’s the type oflegal services I provide to myclient, always.”

Copyright © 2013 Law Bulletin Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission from Law Bulletin Publishing Company.

CHICAGOLAWBULLETIN.COM TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

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