In the latest eyebrow-raising brand deal, legal GenAI provider Legora announced today (13 April) that it has signed a new global campaign with actor Jude Law, with the strap line ‘Law just got more attractive.’
We’re told that the campaign is designed to reposition legal AI from a productivity tool to a core part of modern legal work. Directed by Saturday Night Live veteran Rhys Thomas and shot by Academy Award–winning cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, the campaign films feature Jude Law stepping into the role of a modern spokesperson for legal AI. Will we ever be able to watch The Holiday in the same light again?
The announcement is the latest in a series of major brand deals for both Legora and rival legal GenAI provider Harvey, the latter of which this year signed Harvey Specter actor Gabriel Macht as a brand ambassador and entered a multi-year partnership with Fulham Football Club. Before that, Legora signed a deal with golf star Ludvig Aberg, although with no disrespect, the announcement today blows that out of the water.
After the Fulham announcement I messaged a normally very outspoken Harvey law firm customer to gauge their thoughts. They replied, “I don’t really know much about these sponsorships so don’t feel like I’m best placed to comment,” they said, “but it is definitely indicative of how much the market is changing.”
Changing it certainly is, but what is this type of mainstream marketing achieving?
First off, it’s worth noting that the standard venture capital marketing model or playbook is to build brand authority. While public visibility at football games appears to target the likes of law firm partners, there is a bigger picture objective.
“I expect that the overarching objective is to set themselves as the number one brand using the B2C playbook,” says Simon Marshall, marketing expert and founder of TBD Marketing. “They’ll want to become the default brand, or become a verb, like Hoover. Why? Because that’s the only way they can justify their enormous valuations.” Legora in March raised a furtehr $550m with a $550bn valuation and Harvey raised a further $200m in March with an $11bn valuation.
There may be a further consideration, though. As both Legora and Harvey target the corporate counsel market, including creating collaboration tools to be used by the entire business, brand awareness may be important in achieving buy-in.
Marshall says: “They are using brand to break further into the FTSE100. To become legal’s ‘compare the Meerkat.’ If the FTSE then says its panel law firms must use, say, Harvey, it’s a game changer.”
Neither company blows cash without a clear strategy but customers will want reassurance that investment is going into product development. Deals like this make it more imperative then ever to ensure customer satisfaction. Marshall adds: “There is work to be done to show that Harvey and Legora can really guarantee privilege and confidentiality. They need to be able to pat their heads and rub their tummies at the same time.”
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