Alternative business structure giant pitches for grey pound legal services market in major threat to traditional high street law firms
Saga is one of those “new entrants” — or perhaps in this case “old entrants” — crashing into the high street legal market that causes traditional solicitors to fulminate and turn a deeper shade of puce.
The £1.3 billion revenue business picked up an alternative business licence a little more than a year ago. And while conventional general practice firms might have hoped Saga would quietly hang the certificate on the wall and go back to organising holidays for the over-50s, they should brace themselves for a nasty shock.
The company is launching a television and radio advertising campaign for its legal services, specifically targeting high street staples such as wills, probate, conveyancing and power of attorney, which must be a particular favourite of the more elderly Saga members.
The telly version features stalwart actor Michael Fenton Stevens — who had a run-out on Radio 4’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy — as a typical Saga member strolling into his local for a pint.
The problem is, he lives in an irritating world in which everyone “talks like a lawyer”. In the minds of the advertising clever-dicks, that means barmaids asking:
“Fifty-six point eight centilitres of one’s habitual hop-based beverage?” along with pub notices advertising: “Tonite is inquisition evening — round-based question and answer format.”
The core message is that traditional solicitors over-complicate matters while Saga Legal Services “like to keep things straightforward”. Purrs Fenton Stevens:
“They won’t bombard you with jargon — and their fees are fixed in advance. Plus you can call Saga seven days a week.”
Try ‘phoning Blogs & Co on a Saturday, he might as well say — the senior partner will be on the back nine as sure as eggs is eggs.