All-female Buffalo law firm accentuates the feminine in its ads
An all-female Buffalo law firm is getting a mix of cheers and boos for a series of ads that tout its woman power. “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 in the series of ads for the firm that specializes in corporate labor and employment law.
“They’re meant to be a little edgy and funny. If anything, we’re poking fun at ourselves a bit,” said Ginger Schroder, the firm’s lead partner. “We never intended to engender a national debate on gender stereotypes.”
In recent weeks, the marketing strategy has been the subject of Internet debate on the American Bar Association’s Web site, as well as adrants.com, a site with an advertising industry following.
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.
“Sexism is sexism and humor is just a veil to excuse it,” the ABA site comment concludes.
Several other posts, on both Web sites, give the ads high marks for being quirky and effective.
“I suspect that what gnaws at those who find this particular ad campaign troubling is that at the core of any stereotype, you often find a kernel of truth,” reads a positive post on the ABA site. “That is what makes the ads effective, and, well, pretty darn funny.”
Schroder said she’s completely surprised by the recent online debate. The ads, which have been appearing in Buffaloarea publications for over a year, have never attracted any local criticism.
“Buffalo is a fairly conservative area, and we’ve never gotten anything but positive feedback from our clients and other law firms,” she said.
The ads were created by Jennifer Dowdell, an account executive at Business First, who tapped her background in graphic arts. Dowdell’s goal was to come up with marketing materials that captured the firm’s personality while promoting its skill set.
“This wasn’t about ‘we’re women, hear us roar,’ ” Dowdell said. “But they are an all-women firm, which makes them unique.”
The ads have appeared in Business First, Western New York Heritage, Buffalo Spree and national legal journals since spring 2007. In addition to the “labor pains” and “argue with a woman,” the campaign also taps themes tied to sexual harassment and maternal instincts.
A Buffalo attorney who served on the New York State Bar Association’s task force to establish lawyer ad guidelines that went into effect in 2007 said he’s “a little uncomfortable” with the tone of the Schroder Joseph ads.
“I have a standing concern about any ad content that goes beyond the basics of education and experience,” said Edward C. Cosgrove. “Anything cutesy and catchy makes me a little uncomfortable.”
“I recently saw an ad for a downstate firm that suggested the male lawyers had an edge because of their masculinity, that they were brawlers in the courtroom,” Cosgrove said. “That struck me as crossing the line.”
A State Bar spokesman said the Buffalo law firm’s ad have not resulted in any formal action against the firm tied to its year-old advertising guidelines. Those rules were put in place to govern misleading and inappropriate attorney ads, with particular focus on embellished testimonials, silly nicknames and inaccurate fee information.
Schroder Joseph employs four female attorneys and an all-woman support staff at its Ellicott Street offices.
