Legal marketing continues to evolve. What worked three years ago doesn’t work the same way now. Here are the trends shaping PI law firm marketing in 2025, and what to do about them.
Trend 1: The Streaming Shift Accelerates
Television viewing has fundamentally changed:
- Streaming grew 71% since 2021
- Broadcast declined 21%, cable dropped 39%
- 90% of households use CTV
What this means: Firms relying solely on traditional TV miss a growing audience. CTV is no longer optional. It’s where viewers are.
Action: Shift TV budgets toward CTV. If still broadcast-only, begin transition planning.
Trend 2: Attribution Becomes Standard
“We can’t measure TV” is no longer acceptable:
- CTV provides verified visit tracking
- Multi-touch attribution connects channels
- Cost per case tracking is expected
- CTV accounted for 38% of impressions but 63% of conversions with proper attribution
What this means: Partners and stakeholders expect proof. Marketing without measurement is increasingly unjustifiable.
Action: Implement proper attribution before increasing spend. Track from impression to signed case.
Trend 3: Search Costs Continue Rising
PI keywords remain among the most expensive:
- CPCs in competitive markets: $200-500+
- Competition intensifying, not decreasing
- Limited search volume caps scale
- Pure search strategies face diminishing returns
What this means: Search-only strategies become less sustainable. Demand creation (CTV) provides an alternative path.
Action: Balance capture (search) with creation (CTV). Don’t rely solely on increasingly expensive search.
Trend 4: Local CTV Surges
Local CTV advertising is the fastest-growing digital tactic:
- 29% year-over-year growth
- Local CTV/OTT projected at $2.8B by 2025
- Geographic targeting matches law firm service areas
What this means: Local businesses, especially law firms, are discovering CTV’s targeting advantages.
Action: Leverage local CTV targeting. Focus impressions where you serve clients.
Trend 5: Integration Over Silos
Channel silos are out. Integrated systems are in:
- CTV and search working together
- Unified attribution across channels
- Coordinated timing and messaging
- System-level optimization
What this means: Separate agencies running separate channels without coordination underperforms integrated approaches.
Action: Ensure channel coordination. If using multiple agencies, require integration or consolidate.
Trend 6: Creative Quality Premium
Creative differentiation matters more:
- Campaigns with 3+ creative variations see 32% higher conversion
- Generic messaging blends into noise
- Production quality signals credibility
- AI tools lowering production costs
What this means: Investment in creative pays back through media efficiency. Cheap creative wastes media budget.
Action: Allocate 10-15% of marketing budget to creative production. Refresh regularly.
Trend 7: First-Party Data Value
Privacy changes make first-party data more valuable:
- Third-party cookies declining
- Platform targeting less reliable
- Client data creates unique lookalikes
- Owned audiences provide competitive advantage
What this means: Firms with strong CRM data and proper integration have targeting advantages.
Action: Build first-party data assets. Integrate CRM with marketing platforms.
Trend 8: AI in Creative and Targeting
AI tools are transforming production:
- Lower-cost video production
- Faster creative iteration
- Improved targeting models
- Personalization at scale
What this means: Creative refresh becomes more affordable. Testing velocity increases.
Action: Explore AI-assisted creative production. Maintain human oversight for quality.
Trend 9: Intake Speed as Competitive Edge
Marketing generates interest. Intake converts it:
- 35-50% hire first attorney who responds
- 39% of firms take 2+ hours to respond
- Speed increasingly differentiates
- Slow intake wastes marketing investment
What this means: Marketing efficiency is limited by intake efficiency. Fast responders win more cases.
Action: Audit intake response times. Implement systems for immediate response.
Trend 10: Branded Search Protection Essential
Awareness without protection wastes investment:
- 75% of viewers search after seeing TV ads
- Competitors actively conquest branded terms
- Unprotected branded searches leak to competition
What this means: Any awareness advertising requires corresponding branded search protection.
Action: Run branded search campaigns for your firm name. Monitor competitor conquesting.
Trend 11: Mass Tort Advertising Intensifies
Legal advertising volume continues growing:
- $2.5B on 26.9M ads in 2024
- Mass tort represents significant portion
- CTV offers precision for mass tort targeting
- Competition for affected populations intense
What this means: Mass tort advertising is crowded. Precision targeting provides edge over spray-and-pray approaches.
Action: For mass tort, leverage CTV targeting for specific affected populations rather than broad broadcast.
Trend 12: Long-Term Brand Building Returns
Short-term thinking is giving way to brand investment:
- Household name firms have lower acquisition costs
- Brand recognition compounds over time
- ROAS improves 24% after 90 days
- Patient capital outperforms quick-hit approaches
What this means: Sustained investment in brand building creates durable competitive advantages.
Action: Commit to 12+ month marketing programs. Resist the urge to pause and restart.
2025 Strategy Implications
Option A
Option B
References
- Nielsen. (2025). Streaming reaches historic TV milestone. https://www.nielsen.com/news-center/2025/streaming-reaches-historic-tv-milestone/
- Nielsen. (2025). Connected TV: Transforming advertising trends. https://www.nielsen.com/insights/2025/connected-tv-transforming-advertising-trends/
- Decentriq. (2025). CTV advertising: The complete guide. https://www.decentriq.com/article/ctv-advertising
- Marketron Aspire. (2025). Local CTV advertising spend 2025. https://aspire.marketron.com/what-to-expect-in-local-ctv-advertising-spend-for-the-back-half-of-2025/
- BIA Advisory. (2025). Traditional and digital media forecasts. https://bia.com/forecasts/traditional-digital-media/
- IAB & Innovid. (2022). CTV takes center stage. https://www.iab.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Innovid_CTV-Takes-Center-Stage.pdf
- MNTN Research. (2025). Second screen use by TV viewers. https://research.mountain.com/insights/an-exploration-of-second-screen-use-by-tv-viewers/
- ATRA. (2024). Legal services advertising 2020-2024. https://atra.org/white-paper-and-repo/legal-services-ads-2020-2024/
- MNTN Research. (2023). Increased investment in CTV leads to better performance. https://research.mountain.com/trends/data-reveals-increased-investment-in-ctv-leads-to-better-performance/
- Above the Law. (2025). Law firm lead conversion crisis. https://abovethelaw.com/2025/06/the-quiet-crisis-of-law-firm-lead-conversion/
- Hennessey Digital. (2025). Lead response time study. https://hennessey.com/2025-lead-form-response-time-study/