If you’re still measuring success by impressions, you’re asking the wrong question.
Because in today’s media landscape, you’re not competing with other personal injury firms, you’re competing with everything: breaking news, social feeds, viral videos, endless content, and constant noise. That’s the real battleground. And in that world, impressions are cheap. Attention is the real currency.
And attention is harder than ever to earn.
We’ve reached a point where media buys can look great on a spreadsheet, massive reach, low CPM, wide coverage, but still fall completely flat in the real world. Not because the data was wrong. But because no one actually noticed.
Here’s the shift we have to make: reach without resonance is meaningless.
Airing spots is not the same thing as making an impact. Running an ad is not the same as being remembered.
And that’s the core challenge legal marketers need to solve.
You can’t just be present. You have to be present in a way that lands. That sticks. That earns a moment of focus in an environment where attention is a scarce and valuable commodity.
What does that look like?
- Creative that breaks the pattern: Clear, human messaging that respects your audience’s time and emotional state.
- Tone that connects: Less shouting. More clarity. More empathy.
- Placement that matches behavior: Not just where people used to be, but where they are now, whether that’s CTV, streaming audio, or other underused channels.
- Messaging that’s consistent: Brand familiarity is a product of repetition. If your tone or visuals change every quarter, you’re starting over every time.
Firms that take attention seriously are shifting from “more spots” to “smarter impact.” They’re asking tougher questions about media placement, audience targeting, and creative development. They’re focused not just on being heard but being remembered.
It doesn’t mean abandoning traditional media. It means being more selective with how and where it’s deployed. It means ensuring that every media dollar is buying presence, not just inventory.
And it means treating your audience with respect. Because if your ads feel like filler or worse, if they feel like every other firm’s, people tune out. And once they tune out, frequency becomes expensive, not effective.
Attention isn’t bought. It’s earned with strategy, clarity, and purpose.
So the next time someone tells you how many impressions you’ll get for your spend, pause. And ask yourself the better question:
Will anyone care?
Because in this business, attention is the difference between “ran a campaign” and “generated real results.”
And when you have attention, everything else, brand, performance, intake, gets easier.
Contact PracticeMadePerfect (PMP) today for help navigating the media landscape.
