The verdict on these Schroder Joseph and Associates' ads? Pretty good.

In February I posted about the killjoyness that is most law firm advertising. There's a strain of thinking that says since the law is a serious business, firms must promote themselves in only the most staid way possible, and anything that couldn't be created by Ross Fishman's Automatic Ad Generator falls outside the lines of good taste.

Well, the women at Schroder Joseph & Associates have a better idea: why not create ads that differentiate their firm, get noticed, and invite the audience to have a little fun? The all-female firm put together an ad campaign that does all of those things by turning some common stereotypes on their head. The Buffalo News explains:

“Ever Argue with a Woman?” reads the headline of one of the ads for Schroder Joseph & Associates LLP. “Labor Pains? Talk to us. (We’re women . . . We get it),” states another

Of course, some of the stuffier shirts at the American Bar Association website have gotten their wing tips all winged out over the whole thing. More from the Buffalo News:

The main criticisms of the ads, which play up the firm’s feminine strengths, is that they perpetuate sexual stereotyping.

“Great, next they’ll sell us on female surgeons because they sew better,” reads a post on adrants.com.

A comment on the ABA Web site said the ads open the door to male lawyers touting masculine virtues and suggests some not-so-politically-correct tag lines.

“Men Work Harder and Don’t Take Time Off For Childbirth” or “How Many Women Play Pro Football . . . Women Are Weak,” are two of the proposed male-centric ads.

(Obviously, the genius who came up with those probably wouldn't know a good headline if it hit him in the bow tie.)

Another unique twist to the story is that the ads not were the brainchild of in-house marketing staff or an ad agency; the idea came from Jennifer Dowdell of Business First, a Buffalo-area business weekly:

“This wasn’t about ‘we’re women, hear us roar,’ ” Dowdell said. “But they are an all-women firm, which makes them unique.”

Like it or not, ABA scolds, if you're not unique, you're invisible. And if you're going to create safe, boring ads, you may as well not run them at all.

Who's who in Fort Wayne print publications

Similar names, ownership changes, and other factors have made for a lot of confusion about who's who in Fort Wayne print publications. In an attempt to clear up some of the confusion, here's a quick rundown of the major players:

- Fort Wayne Newspapers is the parent group of the two dailies, the Journal Gazette and the News-Sentinel. The JG publishes every day, the NS every day but Sunday. The JG is independently/privately owned; the NS is owned by Ogden Newspapers

- FWN also publishes a monthly lifestyle magazine, titled--appropriately enough--Fort Wayne Monthly

- Business People is a monthly glossy magazine from Michiana Business Publications, which also publishes a quarterly lifestyle mag, Fort Wayne Living

- The KPC Media Group publishes a weekly business tabloid, the Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly, and a free monthly lifestyle magazine, Greater Fort Wayne Family. KPC also owns the Times Community Publications--five free shoppers delivered by mail: Aboite & About, the Dupont Valley Times, the East Allen County Times, the Georgetown Times, and the St. Joe Times, (KPC also publishes several northeast Indiana newspapers)

- Providence Communications publishes Upstate Indiana Business Journal--which used to be the Fort Wayne Business Journal--and Fort Wayne Woman

- WhatzUp is a weekly music/entertainment/nightlife tabloid

- The Fort Wayne Reader is a weekly independent newspaper. FWR and Ink, a weekly newspaper focused on the African-American community, are owned by Diversity Media Group

- Frost Illustrated is another weekly focused on the African-American community

Let me know if I've missed anything.

Newspapers seek to redefine medium through "N2"

Editor and Publisher, the chronicle of the newspaper industry, reports on a new study entitled "Newspaper Next 2.0: Making the Leap Beyond 'Newspaper Companies" that strives to point the way for the continued relevance of the medium:

To get to [the] next step...newspapers must stop thinking of themselves as newspaper companies, the report argues. Instead, they should consider themselves their "local information and connection utility." [...] For consumers, it must no longer just present news and information, but become the first choice for customers and non-customers alike "to help me know or do whatever it takes to live here." Newspapers must do that by using all the tools available from social networking, databases, localized wikipedia, "knowledge repositories," and more. For all the businesses in the market, advertisers or not, the job newspapers must "own" is "help me connect with anyone who lives here, in the most effective way possible."

I think the medium may be on to something here. Earlier this month, I discussed some of print's problems, while also offering what I saw as a potential solution. Here's an excerpt from my comments:

The future will depend upon their ability to move the medium online and provide advertisers with more valuable strategies for reaching readers and quantifying ROI. One idea: papers should drop everything but local content and information that’s unavailable anywhere else, and make new and updated content available continuously, as it happens. No national sports (that’s why we have ESPN.com). No national news (that’s why we have CNN.com and Google News). No stock listings or weather, both of which demand resources beyond the means of local news outlets. But no one else is better positioned to provide in-depth coverage of news, sports, and entertainment, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And the good news is that they probably can do this with little investment in new staff or technology, as long they as they focus existing resources on their core competencies.

It sounds like N2 is a more sophisticated version of this, but I'd be concerned if it were too ambitious. I think there's some opportunities for newspapers to become niche social network portals that bring together people already linked by geography. But first, they should concentrate on leveraging their greatest asset--local news and information--and then slowly embed other products. This is a case where slow growth might be the best model, simply because what they're trying to do is so huge.

In a comment to another post about the state of print, SBB reader Julianne said this:

[W]hile I'm guessing some evolutionary form of media will pick up newspapers' local beat, I mourn the loss of an institution. Reporters and editors weren't making widgets. Nor much money, either. They were motivated by a commitment to truth, to community, to the hope that they could make a difference. Who will pick up that torch and carry it forth, illuminating the dusty corners of local politics and community action? What communal forum will exist for commentary, especially from those who don't have access to technology? Who will keep watch and monitor truth and change for us all?

I think this is very well said, and I share Julianne's concerns. Time will tell whether the N2 report offers real solutions, but it's great to see that the industry is taking action instead of hoping for the return of the good old days. There's a lot at stake--not just for newspapers, but for the communities they serve.

The full "Newspaper Next 2.0" report is available for download here.

"This is not about Lickable Ads": First Flavor prez writes in to clarify WSJ story

Jay Minkoff, president and CEO of First Flavor, Inc., left the following comment today in hopes of clearing up some misconceptions about the ad his company helped create for Welch's:

As the president of First Flavor, the company bringing this Peel 'n Taste product to market, there is a major correction to the WSJ article: This is not about Lickable Ads. Welch's used the term 'lick' in their ad and no one seems to have bothered to read the fine print.

Our product, which can be attached to a print ad and peeled off, is a sealed tamper evident foil pouch containing a piece of edible film. (Similar to popular breath strips.) One peels opens the pouch and places the piece of edible film on your tongue. The edible film dissolves quickly leaving you with a burst of flavor. No licking involved!

The point that was really missed was that finally consumers now have a way of trying the taste of a product before they buy it. We call it taking a product for a 'Taste Drive'!

First, I want to thank Jay for his comment--it's always good to hear from those directly involved in the work discussed on SBB. I also want to give him major kudos from a PR perspective, since (unlike others who will go unmentioned) he clearly understands the role bloggers play in today's communication environment.

I think First Flavor is experiencing the double-edged sword that is free publicity. Most companies would salivate over the opportunity to get a story in the Wall Street Journal. However, if there are inaccuracies in the story, they spread just as fast as the accurate information. The original SBB post repeated a quote from Welch's that I think created the misunderstanding:

"A lot of people won't lick a magazine no matter how good it tastes," says Chris Heye, Welch's marketing chief.

Heye may have considered his comment a throwaway, but it seems to have stuck with readers. After all, if you say "lick a magazine," that's pretty provocative...and provocative comments stick.

Now, Minkoff is working his tail off--on a Sunday, no less--to help others get things right. So in that same spirit, here are a couple links to show you how First Flavor's product really works:

• A description of First Flavor's Peel 'n Taste^® Marketing System
• A video from ABC News