Should lawyers pause their ads for the mid-terms?

This election season is bringing a major hike in ad rates. What’s a lawyer to do? Later, service and gifts give every member of your law firm the opportunity to level up client experiences.  ----- Massive political ad spends are pushing expenses higher than ever in the lead-up to November 6, impacting your branded advertising economics both online and off. Do you need to make changes to your firm’s marketing campaigns? Should you take a break from branded advertising or push through? Conrad and Gyi debate tactical options to help you make informed decisions with your advertising budget.  And, if you do decide to cut back on digital media buys, where are those extra marketing dollars going to go? A gift budget is an excellent way to help your team members get involved in marketing. The guys explain how gifting promotes a more thoughtful mindset, helping your team connect more deeply with clients and creating opportunities to build affinity for your law firm.    The News: Depending on where you’re located—Elections advertising spend for 2026 expected to reach record high, outpacing presidential years.  Local positioning in action, folks: Michigan roofer bets on community over private equity. Imaging running a carefully worded ad just to have an AI summary screw it all up. Thanks, Google…bleh. – Google tests AI-generated summaries in Search ads And, here’s a real life example from Darcy Burk. Shout out to Michigan Auto Law for this cool campaign: Get Up To $3,000 Free. How do we teach young lawyers to function in an AI world without relying on AI in the learning process? – UChicago Law Unveils New AI Strategy   Make Summer More Fun:  Come see us in Nashville 8/11-8/13 at the LHLM Super Summit! Listen Next: Mindful Gifting || Resolutions Past and Future Connect: Leave Us an Apple Review  Lunch Hour Legal Marketing on YouTube  Lunch Hour Legal Marketing on TikTok r/LHLM  In This Episode 00:00 Intro & The Trophy Story 03:05 News: Election Ad Spend Record Highs 03:40 News: Local Positioning Lessons from a Roofer 05:35 News: Google Testing AI Summaries in Ads 06:19 News: Michigan Auto Law Campaign Shout-out 07:13 News: UChicago Law’s New AI Strategy 09:43 Should Lawyers Pause Ads During Mid-terms? 11:15 Strategy: Location-Specific Ad Planning 13:16 The Debate: Branding Consistency vs. Ad Spend 15:52 Direct Response vs. Brand Awareness 23:18 Employee Gifting Programs for Law Firms 27:10 Logistics: Using Gifting Platforms 28:32 The Power of Personalized Client Gifts 31:40 Incentivizing Employee Engagement 34:10 Operationalizing Marketing Efforts 38:34 Aligning Firm Growth with Staff Goals