'Mini Superman' knows how it’s done

De Merkplaats is for 'anyone who has thought of something and wants to make sure that it doesn’t get nicked'

Het Parool - 7 May 2005

De Merkplaats is a legal agency in Amsterdam specialising in trademark law. It presented itself to a wide audience in a television commercial that combined live footage and animation. It was broadcast on AT5 and RTV-NH. The leading part is played by a 'mini Superman' - with a head based on that of Alphons Geerlings, director and founder of de Merkplaats - frantically running around stamping everything. It is an original concept in which the trademark agency aims to present itself as a brand.
The film is light-hearted, and the little fellow speaks to the audience, comparing the protection of brand name with locking your bike: 'Something you just do.' Although the agency usually deals with serious legal affairs, it sometimes deliberately seeks publicity.
For instance, just before princess Catharina-Amalia (the eldest child of the Dutch crown prince) was born, her name was registered as a trademark and, amongst much media coverage, was presented to the happy parents as a gift. This prevented a repeat of the chaos that occurred around the name Máxima (the mother of the said princess), which - at the time - was claimed by a large number of greedy entrepreneurs.
At the end of the commercial, the screen shows the logos of a number of names that are protected by de Merkplaats.
Alphons Geerlings explains the commercial.

But lawyers are not allowed to advertise themselves, are they?

"Lawyers weren’t allowed to, no, but that has been changed following the American example. I remember that in the first year that the Orde van Advocaten (The Dutch Law Society) allowed advertising, two collaborating lawyers put their picture in the Yellow Pages. In those days a photograph was very unusual, but I thought it was brilliant. Mind you, the two quickly got into an argument, and the result was two separate photographs in the Legal Aid section."

In the commercial you have been animated as a kind of Superman, which is a rather unusual approach for a lawyer.

"We first had a rather boring scenario, with a client asking for advice, but it just didn’t feel right. Then the gentlemen at Atlantic Pictures came up with a kind of Superman idea. I didn’t think much of it at first, but the boys remained enthusiastic and kept trying to talk me round, and I finally gave them free rein, since you shouldn’t really give creative people too many constraints.

When I saw the presentation I couldn’t stop laughing. The message was clear and stated humorously. You can look at it like this: people who don’t know me don't recognise me, but it does raise a smile with clients who do know me. My daughters' teachers, who are only used to seeing me in a smart suit, nearly died laughing when they saw me on television as Superman."

Om deze flashanimatie te kunnen zien moet u Javascript inschakelen en de Flash player downloaden.

Creation and direction:
Casper van Zandwijk
Thomas Gense

Animation: Atlantic Pictures

View the entire commercial.

Legal advice is serious business, so why the relaxed, humorous presentation?

"I worked in a law advice centre when I was a student, where I was introduced to divorce law, labour law and criminal law. This was all nice and educational, but it hardly cheered me up. Sometimes you have to defend someone who you would rather kick in the shins, and you have to dig around in the marital affairs of ex-sweethearts. No thanks. That is why I chose to deal with areas of law that I found more attractive, such as copyright and design law, which involves a lot more laughs, and where you deal with people who have a creative and constructive approach to life. This choice is also expressed in the way our agency presents itself."

Why a commercial for a trademark agency on public channels such as AT5 and RTV-NH, and not in professional journals?

"We want to become better known outside our field, since most of our colleagues know us by now. In addition, we want to present ourselves to our clients. What’s more, we want to reach all the businesses in the north of the Netherlands that like to hear common sense, clear language and a bit of individuality, plus, of course, anyone who has thought of something and wants to make sure it doesn’t get nicked. As I say in the commercial: “Because, after all, you lock your bike too.”

Toon Jiran