In February, online legal services and Seattle-based company Avvo launched a new ad campaign focusing on humorous situations (aka, teen crashing car into tree, man getting caught cheating, etc.), which we wrote about here.
Competitor New York-based Lawdingo, whose Twitter bio includes, “We’re here to pick fights and annoy people,” didn’t take too kindly to the campaign:
Not too amused by @Avvo having taken "inspiration" from our ad. Side by side: https://t.co/DIiFSaYJx3 https://t.co/aI7Wicw7pz #AvvoMoment?
— Lawdingo.com (@thelawdingo) February 18, 2015
The Lawdingo “It’s Okay, I’ve got Lawdingo” campaign was posted to YouTube in April 2013, almost two years before the Avvo “Find Your Lawyer” campaign, which went live in February.
Similarities abound: The aforementioned “cheating” scenario and others playing out to cut to the lines: “It’s okay, I’ve got Lawdingo,” or in Avvo’s case, just the person muttering “Avvo.”
We asked Avvo about Lawdingo’s tweet. Company spokeswoman Meghan Lockhart wrote us:
“As part of our efforts to drive brand awareness for Avvo, we brought on Deutsch LA, the award-winning agency behind a number of successful campaigns for companies such as Zillow, Taco Bell and Volkswagen, including VW’s wildly popular Darth Vader Super Bowl ad. We couldn’t be happier with the Avvo ‘Find Your Lawyer’ ad and our team at Deutsch LA. The campaign offers an amusing, yet realistic take on the legal issues that many of us face at one time or another and our desire at that moment for an accessible solution we can trust.”
She also told us that Lawdingo is not on Avvo’s radar, and never has been.
Fair enough. Really, there are only so many legal scenarios that lend themselves to a light comedic touch. And while the Lawdingo ad definitely has more of sketch-comedy, “Funny or Die” feel to it, and Avvo takes the slicker, more corporate approach, perhaps both companies should offer a nod to State Farm, which has been doing this shtick forever.
Watch both ads below and let us know what you think:
Avvo:
Lawdingo:
