Co-op Legal Services launches first campaign

The Co-operative Legal Services division is launching its first TV ad campaign as it aims to show how it can take the stress and anxiety out of accessing legal advice.

The business, which launched in April last year after a change in regulations allowed other kinds of businesses to apply for a licence to offer legal advice, wants to raise awareness of its “caring and jargon free” service.

A multi-million pound TV campaign will break today (5 June) supported by social media, radio, press and PR activity.

The ads, created by Leo Burnett, focus on The Co-op’s “simple and straightforward approach and use of plain English”.

Ian Mackie, sales and marketing director of Co-operative Legal Services, told Marketing Week:
“We’ve done a lot of research and talked to a lot of customers about their fears and anxieties of using legal services and talking to solicitors. They worry if they can trust the advice, or if they’re being ripped off or the jargon makes them feel small. We understand that. It’s a natural thing for the Co-op to put the customer at the heart of our plans. For a solicitor it’s an alien approach.”

The Co-op is also launching a YouTube channel which will host 17 advice videos created as a first point of reference for potential customers.

They are designed to offer basic advice and either help customers resolve their issue on their own, or point them towards The Co-op’s free advice line in the first instance, or if necessary a solicitor.

The services offered by The Co-op are broken down into “bite size, modular” pieces so that it is less daunting and so customers only need to buy the exact services they require, says Mackie. All The Co-op’s legal advice products are also fixed price, to remove some of the uncertainty felt by customers.

Mackie says: “It is alien in legal services [to offer free advice] but it’s not in other sectors. The Co-operative isn’t just about profit – it’s about serving the community and a customer whose problem is resolved without having to pay for a [Co-op] solicitor is going to be the best brand advocate.”

The Co-operative Legal Services was the first major consumer brand to take advantage of the new regulations.