Law blog round-up
June 2, 2008
Good afternoon! Here are a few law-related links for your Monday.
- A lawyer who handles automobile lemon claims blogs about the latest lemon-law decision (PDF) from the Court of Special Appeals.
- The governor has “moved at a snail’s pace” in appointing judges to the Court of Appeals, says The Maryland Lawyer Blog.
- Law prof Nancy Polikoff wonders why friends of Janice — of the same-sex custody case (PDF) Janice M. v. Margaret K. — didn’t tell her to stay out of court.
- The Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office has a therapy pooch. Cute, no?
- Carolyn Elefant at MyShingle posts about a study finding that 76 percent of law firms discount their fees.
- What do you think of this ad campaign by a female-owned firm that uses the lawyers’ gender as a selling point?
CARYN TAMBER, Legal Affairs Writer
Sphere: Related ContentStar-studded Nike ad calls out UnderArmour
March 24, 2008
If you watched any part of the NCAA basketball tournament over the weekend, you surely saw the “My better is better than your better…” commercials for Nike’s Sparq training gear. Both the gear and the commercials are clearly geared to thwarting competition from Baltimore-based Under Armour.
I know (or at least I think) I recognized a good number of professional athletes and coaches in the commercials, but the only ones I can put a name to are New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush, USC football coach Pete Carroll and soccer star Julie Foudy. Web Specialist Joe Bacchus picked out the Phoenix Suns’ Steve Nash and soccer player Landon Donovan.
Here are two questions: 1) What athletes did you recognize from the commercials?
And, 2) should Under Armour be worried that Nike is coming after it full throttle?
ED WALDMAN, Managing Editor/Business
Steak-umm is O’s official burger
March 19, 2008
If you’re hankering for a hamburger at Camden Yards this spring, you’ll only have one choice: a Steak-umm Burger.
The new burgers, manufactured by Reading, Pa.-based Steak-umm Company LLC, are now the official hamburgers of the home team. They will be “the exclusive burger served at Oriole Park’s concession stands during the season.”
And if you can’t wait until the start of the season to try one, just check your grocery store’s freezer aisle.
From the BusinessWire release today:
“This affiliation with the Orioles is a great way for us to introduce our newest product to the public. It gives fans a great burger to eat at the ballpark, and it gives us excellent brand visibility,” said Sergei Szortyka, President of Steak-umm Company.
“People have known us for our sandwich steaks for years, and now they’ll get the message that we’re in the burger business too.”
Steak-umm may have the official designation, but they can’t buy the loyalty of fans of Boog’s Barbecue. Check out this review.
JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor
Sphere: Related ContentAd campaign for Maryland lottery invokes childhood (nostalgia)
March 13, 2008
Dubble Bubble Gum and scratch-and-sniff books. If you’re thinking about childhood nostalgia items, you’re on the right track — sort of.
In a new promotional campaign launched this week, Maryland State Lottery is introducing the nation’s first scratch-and-sniff lotto tickets, called “Dubble Bubble Doubler.” Television ads will air in the next few days, and the lotto plans to promote the new game at Oriole Park on Opening Day, Mar. 31.
The bubble gum company’s “Pud” character (pictured in the ad) will meet and greet game attendees, and souvenirs such as Dubble Bubble Doubler t-shirts, gum and scented pencils will be given away. The lottery will also hold a bubble blowing contest at a booth.
A mid-summer lottery promotion of the new game is also planned at Oriole Park.
Buddy Roogow, director of the state lottery, said today the advertising was not meant to attract children.
“What we’re trying to do is bring the nostalgia back to adult players,” he said. “We made sure that the [television] advertising is not with kids, it has adult themes, and all the commercials will have adults in them.”
But Doug Steigler, director of the Association of Maryland Families, a non-profit Christian organization, said that the partnership with the baseball team shows “they are definitely going after children” with the nostalgia campaign.
“[The state] went from a lottery at one game per week which was supposed to solve the education [funding] problem — and you can see the results of that — to now selling scratch-offs to kids,” he said.
What do you think? Is the new game and advertising too enticing for kids, or does it just remind you of the good old days?
LIZ FARMER, Business Writer
Sphere: Related ContentThe cost of closing the ‘bux
March 3, 2008
By closing for three hours last week, Starbucks reportedly lost out on $2-$4 million in sales. There’s been a range of reactions to the event, which Advertising Age calls “part boot camp for baristas and part mass marketing for a company that wants to demonstrate that its improving product and customer experience.”
- Some felt the coffee chain turned away customers who have plenty of other ways to get the goods. Dunkin’ Donuts stepped up to offer a range of drinks for 99 cents during the promotion, and it paid off: a marketing exec said franchisees experienced increased store traffic and sales.
- Some argued that the closing, which drew plenty of media attention, alienated customers who didn’t anticipate being turned away - such as this InformationWeek columnist (”What, no email?”) or the customers in the Sacramento newscast below.
- And still another said that Starbucks “pointed out that its baristas didn’t understand how to work the automated machines … Starbucks actually raised the awareness of a new problem. Check the past coverage of Starbucks’ recent woes, and you’ll see little criticism of the actual quality of the coffee.”
I’m unsure if the Powers That Be at Starbucks made the right call with the shutdown, but I know this: It’s lame to tell your customers to roast a turkey while they’re waiting for a revamped espresso.
JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor
Sphere: Related ContentCritics cry foul over chicken sandwich slogan
February 28, 2008
Sheetz’s new “Crispy Frickin’ Chicken” billboards are causing a stir for the use of fowl - sorry, foul - language.
From the AP story:
The campaign is aimed at young adults, and the company did not intend to offend anyone, [Spokeswoman Monica] Jones said.
“We’re kind of known for edgy, kind of brash advertising tactics, and we knew this would spark a certain amount of controversy,” Jones said. “That said, we’re proud of the campaign.”
The 100 billboards will be taken down when the campaign ends on Wednesday.
Sheetz Inc. is based in Altoona, Pa., but operates stores in Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia.
JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor
Sphere: Related ContentTrade mag names Rock, Paper, Scissors tourney a “great idea”
February 25, 2008
Around the newsroom, many of us roll our eyes when we open our inbox to find a deluge of press releases from California Tortilla. The joke goes that their marketing staff really earns their keep - in consistency and volume, if nothing else.
But one of the fast-food burrito chain’s promotions was recently recognized in Restaurant Business magazine as No. 15 on their “50 Great Ideas” feature. And, oddly enough, it was one of the ones we had not-so-silently mocked.
Held on Wednesday, June 20th, Rock, Paper, Scissors Day challenged customers to defeat their cashier in a round of the popular game. If the customer was victorious, they saved $1 off their order. Across the chain, customers won 62% of the games, blowing away all expectations.
I don’t think my expectations - if I had any - are blown away, but you’ve got to give ‘em credit: when it comes to customer involvement, California Tortilla is earning its keep.
JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor
Sphere: Related ContentLocal radio giveaways get exotic
February 13, 2008
Everyone needs a gimmick… right?
As an avid listener of DC101’s “Elliott in the Morning” show on my way to work, I’m tempted to try to win a spot on their upcoming trip to Dubai, which they announced this morning. The talk show cast will be taking (an unspecified number of) winners along on a 5-day trip to the United Arab Emirates in March for the Desert Rock Festival.
The requirements to go were a bit surprising to me; beyond being over 21 and having a valid passport, your passport “must not have a stamp from Israel” or you could risk being denied admittance to the country. Has anyone out there heard of that happening?
If you’re a nervous flier or uninterested in traveling to the Middle East, you might fare better in WKLC-FM’s Valentine’s Day giveaway: a free divorce.
Charleston, W.Va.’s Rock 105 will be accepting applications through 4p.m. tomorrow from couples who anticipate a “relatively uncomplicated divorce.” (Apparently, if you’re expecting a long, drawn-out legal battle, this isn’t for you). Charleston attorney Rusty Webb will file the chosen case.
Update: The prize includes 10 free hours of legal services… enough to perform a speedy divorce?
JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor
Photo courtesy of tripadvisor.com
Sphere: Related ContentLions and tigers and bears? Oh, my!
February 7, 2008
The Wall Street Journal has a great story today on offbeat lawyer advertisements and the ulcers they cause in state bar officials. From the piece:
But the Florida bar isn’t buckling. It filed a complaint in 2004 against Fort Lauderdale personal-injury attorney Marc Andrew Chandler over ads that featured a pit bull wearing a spiked collar. The Florida Supreme Court sided with the bar in 2005, ruling that pit bulls conjure up images of viciousness. “Were we to approve,” the court wrote, “images of sharks, wolves, crocodiles, and piranhas could follow.”
Despite these fears, the bar in 2006 approved the use of panthers, the mascot of Miami firm Panter, Panter & Sampedro PA. At least two other Florida firms have images of lions on their Web sites, so far without censure. That panthers and lions have been tolerated bugged the pit bull lawyer, who asked a bar official how the state could favor vicious cats over pit bulls. “I asked him, ‘What would you rather deal with, a pit bull or a lion?’” Mr. Chandler says, recalling a 2006 telephone call. “There was silence on the other end. I could hear the sound of crickets chirping in the background.”
If the folks in Florida find pit bulls inappropriate, how about bulldogs, like the mascot of our former gov.’s firm? (Womble doesn’t seem to have an office in Florida, which I suppose is good news for Winston.)
Not having cable, I rarely see lawyer ads on TV, so someone’s going to have to fill me in on whether any Maryland attorneys are using potentially vicious animals in their ads.
Also, are there any ads, animal-or-alien-containing or otherwise, that you’d like to see yanked?
What would be the least apropos animal mascot for a law firm? A basket of kittens, because lawyers shouldn’t be cuddly? A python, because no one wants a lawyer to squeeze them for all they’ve got? A possum, because a good lawyer shouldn’t play dead?
CARYN TAMBER, Legal Affairs Writer
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