Morgan & Morgan $350M Strategy: Lessons for Firms
Morgan & Morgan spends $350M/year on marketing, $110M on spot TV alone. Here's what their dominance means for smaller firms and how to compete.
Morgan and Morgan spent $110.7 million on spot TV in 2024. More than five times the next largest spender. Their total marketing budget sits around $350 million annually.
You’re not going to outspend them. But you can outmaneuver them.
The Morgan Playbook
Morgan and Morgan dominates through volume. Across the markets we track, they’re the top spender in 11 DMAs, from Los Angeles ($1.27M/month, 12.4% share) to Jackson, MS ($892K/month, 38% share).
Their strongest holds are in smaller Southeast markets: Jackson (38%), Little Rock (29.5%), Savannah (26.3%), Tampa (24%), Birmingham (21.5%). In these markets, they own the broadcast airwaves. For the full scope of Morgan and Morgan’s advertising approach, the numbers tell a consistent story.
Where Morgan and Morgan Is Weak
Morgan and Morgan’s strategy is broadcast-heavy. They buy massive TV volume and own the airwaves. But broadcast has limits.
Declining Viewership
46% of TV time is now streaming. Every year, broadcast reaches fewer households.
No Household Targeting
Broadcast buys dayparts, not demographics. Morgan’s ads reach everyone, including people who’ll never need a lawyer.
Cord-Cutters Are Invisible
If they’re not watching broadcast, Morgan and Morgan isn’t reaching them. That audience grows every quarter.
In markets where Morgan and Morgan controls 25-38% of broadcast, the streaming audience is largely untouched.
The Counter-Strategy
You don’t beat Morgan and Morgan on broadcast. You go where they aren’t.
Option A
Option B
Competing on Broadcast (Don't)
Morgan outspends you 5x minimum. They own prime local news slots. Rate cards favor their volume. You’re fighting for scraps at premium prices. The math doesn’t work.
Competing on CTV (Do This)
The households Morgan misses are on streaming. You get household-level targeting, non-skippable ads, 100% completion, and attribution Morgan can’t match on broadcast. Different audience, different economics.
In a market like Jackson (38% Morgan share, 18% CTV adoption), the streaming audience is wide open. Same in Little Rock (29.5% Morgan, 18% CTV) and Savannah (26.3% Morgan, 18% CTV).
The Lesson
Morgan and Morgan proves that legal advertising works at scale. $350M/year isn’t charity. It’s ROI-positive or they wouldn’t do it.
But their playbook is broadcast. If you can’t match their budget, match their reach differently. The streaming audience exists. The targeting is better. The attribution is clearer.
Go where they aren’t.