 By Larry Bodine, a strategic marketing consultant based near Chicago. He advises firms on marketing strategy, individual coaching and Web site redesigns. He can be reached at 630.942.0977 or www.LarryBodine.com.
Holland & Hart has joined with Frontier Airlines to produce “Business Class,” a branded in-flight entertainment show spotlighting innovative clients in the Rocky Mountain West. Beginning this month, the series of 5-minute shows are airing in front of millions of Frontier passengers on the Wild Blue Yonder in-flight TV channel.
This campaign is a double bingo.
- Frontier is a client. All the subjects of the videos are clients. The in-flight videos are all methods to deepen the firm's relationship with existing clients. This is classic marketing. Most of a firm's revenue comes from current clients. So the effort to co-market with a client about other clients makes this an example of "the high art of marketing."
- It's an extension of their branding. Their tagline is "The Law Out West." Frontier flies primarily to western destinations. Outlast makes clothing for outdoor activities in the west. Their next video subject, Spyder Active Sports, makes ski racing equipment of the kind used in the west. The entire program extends Holland and Hart's niche and reputation as the premier law firm out west.
To see the video on a company called Outlast Technology simply visit http://www.hollandhart.com/wildblueyonder.cfm and click the video format you use. Outlast Technologies, Inc. -- a client of the firm -- is the worldwide pioneer in developing phase-change materials and applications. See www.outlast.com. Next up, starting in September, is Spyder Active Sports Inc., which makes ski apparel and also is based in Boulder.
"As you know, TV advertising for corporate law firms is unusual. H&H is the first to advertise on TV at 30,000 feet. We are certainly the first major corporate law firm to create a 'branded entertainment' segment on Wild Blue Yonder TV," said H&H "Marketing Guy" Mark Beese.
 Holland and Hart has 350 attorneys in 12 offices in six states. They feature clients in the "Business Class" videos, "who are very, very happy to get the publicity in front of 10 million flyers annually, 60% whom are business travelers," Beese said.
Denver-based Frontier, which is a Holland and Hart client, operates a 52-jet fleet and flies to Canada, Mexico and 47 U.S. cities. The airline was so pleased with the program that their Marketing VP came to the firm's launch party on in June, along with more than 100 folks from H&H.
"We chose Frontier because it gave us an opportunity to partner and support a valued client, Frontier's footprint is very similar to H&H's network of 12 regional offices, and Frontier's creative, community-oriented, and client-service brand is a good match with Holland & Hart," Beese said.
Promoting clients with clients
"Admittedly, I am very impressed," said blogger Tom Kane of Sarasota, FL. "There was one other aspect to this ad that I really liked. Holland & Hart is promoting its client, that in turn is endorsed in the ad by the Space Foundation (NASA is one of Outlast’s customers), which as a result links the law firm to some pretty high technology circles."
"Also, I have to admit that I like the idea of promoting one’s clients, as long as it is legitimate, sincere and not just an attempt at brown-nosing the client. If the client has done some significant things in its industry, or for its customers or community, then helping the client tell the world about it could be a great way to build on your relationship," Kane said.
The law firm is aiming at corporate clients. "It's marketing of substance," said Beese told the Denver Business Journal. "It's not just five minutes of 'Look how great Holland & Hart is' or 'Look how old Holland & Hart is.'"
Of course, it's still important to measure results. I've always been skeptical of in-flight programs, because the producers can't tell you how many times the programs were actually viewed or provide the contact information of the viewers. This kind of marketing is very difficult to measure.
Beese said surveys of frequent flyers on Frontier would be done both early and late in the run of "Business Class" to see if the program has changed people's impressions of the law firm and the companies profiled. Based on the results, Holland & Hart will decide whether to continue the marketing effort next year.
If the firm can prove a return-on-investment -- that's icing on the cake. Then the double bingo becomes a "hat trick."
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