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Sure, Other Cities Have Their Billboard Lawyers. But Only In LA Do They Inspire Hollywood
The ad campaign for the new film "Hit Man" features billboards and bus ads that mimic those of personal injury lawyers in L.A.
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Courtesy Netflix
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Many cities have their own cadres of personal injury lawyers who advertise on billboards, like this "attorney that rocks" in Texas with big Burning Man energy.
But, as it is with so many things, Los Angeles just does it better.
For evidence, look up to the sky. In the last month or so, amidst the many billboards standing tall in parking lots or atop giant buildings lurk a few new entries that have probably made you do a double-take.
They look just like some of our classic legal eagle billboards — down to their very designs, taglines and color schemes, except they are promoting the new film, Hit Man, which starts streaming on Netflix today. (HT to Americana at Brand Memes for this compilation.)
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The Richard Linklater caper stars Glen Powell as Gary Johnson, a milquetoast professor who poses as a fake hitman for the police. The unusual side hustle requires that he puts on many different personae to hoodwink his marks.
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Courtesy Netflix
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Fiona Ng
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LAist
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The six Hit Man concepts on billboards and across bus benches in L.A. nod to the chameleon-like transformations Gary the hitman takes on in the film — and pay tribute to L.A.'s finest from Call Jacob to the late great Larry H. Parker, to Veronica the insurance agent with a dog.
"We thought about what would someone like Gary do if they wanted to get the word out about themselves as a hitman. We thought, 'Obviously they would put up billboards of themselves and what better model [are there] than these iconic, almost celebrity status lawyers who have billboards all over L.A.," said Jonathan Helfgot, vice president of marketing at Netflix, the streamer behind the film.
Concept to completion of these winky tributes took between 6 to 8 weeks, Helfgot said.
"They're such celebrities in their own right in L.A. and they're such iconic figures," he said. "Our hope was that they would take it as the homage that it was intended and that they would be flattered that we were honoring them in this way."
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Indeed, that's how personal injury lawyer Anh Phoong is taking it. She said she spotted one of Hit Man's ads driving around town and thought it was hers. The closer she got, the more puzzled she became.
Lawyer Anh Phoong is the latest entrant into the crowded field of personal injury lawyers that advertise on billboards in L.A.
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Fiona Ng
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LAist
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Courtesy Netflix
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"Once I realized it was not by coincidence, I LOL'd a bit. After all, imitation is the greatest form of flattery! Netflix got it right and selected our boards as one of the few to mock in town," said Phoong, whose legal practice (and billboards) stretch across California.
If you were wondering, why yes, Los Angeles is the only city getting the full billboard barrage. Helfgot said his team tried it with a couple lawyer billboards in New York, but they just didn't, pardon the pun, hit right.
"They don't lend themselves to this treatment as much as the handful in LA do," said Helfgot. "If you live in LA, it's hard to not know who these guys are and it's hard to not say, 'Oh, I remember those billboards.'"
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