Much like football, marketing is a contact sport. We might not wear the same protective gear—not since the '90s shoulder pad craze at least—but the competition sometimes feels as fierce, and a fumble, a missed play or a bad call (with a client or prospect) can feel just as bad.

And we love a good celebration when we win.

Our Philadelphia Eagles gave us much to celebrate, winning Super Bowl 52—against all the odds. They also gave us some great lessons that apply equally to football and to marketing.

• Embrace your inner underdog. 

Following the team's 15-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in the divisional round of the playoffs, Eagles defensive end Chris Long and offensive tackle Lane Johnson celebrated by donning rubber German Shepherd masks—an effective “flipping the bird” to the oddsmakers, doubters and naysayers who declared the Eagles the underdogs.

Although not a coordinated marketing effort by any stretch of the imagination, it ignited a movement and a point of engagement between the players and Eagles fans. Dog masks of all breeds flew off shelves and sold out on websites, and a variety of dog-themed T-shirts (some official and some not so much) became the fan clothing of choice for nearly three weeks, as energized fans took up the underdog mantra in support of their team.

I think it's fair to say that embracing the underdog role energized the team too. Just ask Jason Kelce, who delivered a full five-minute speech on the criticism the team has endured (in full Mummer's gear and replete with colorful language) at the parade celebrating the team's win. Kelce listed members of the Eagles organization—from the top down—who had been criticized, underestimated or counted out, including every member of the championship team.

“No one wanted us. No one liked this team. No analyst liked this team to win the Super Bowl and nobody likes our fans,” Kelce reminded the crowd. “You know what I got to say to all those people who doubted us, all those people that counted us out, and everybody who said we couldn't get it done?”

We all know his colorful—and unprintable—answer to that.

The marketing lesson? Don't take your self out of the game. Play up what you're good at—what differentiates you from your competitors—and create engagement around that.

Just like some folks will always be Patriot's fans, some clients will always that want a big name, “Big Law,” law firm. But there is plenty of other action out there and plenty of ways to compete —and win.

In fact, BTI Consulting recently reported that some “mega prestige brands” (firms with premium brands and top-tier clients) are slowly but surely losing clients to other firms—firms that aggressively seek out and cultivate those clients. According to BTI's “The Mad Clientist” (a.k.a. Michael Rynowecer), about 40 percent of firms overall are actually losing clients and market share. A small but significant percentage of law firms (BTI research says about 12 percent) are not just growing in revenue and profits, they are taking clients and market share from other firms. These firms are winning by focusing on growth from their existing clients and concentrating on a few select markets, practices and clients, instead of trying to market broadly (or rest on their laurels).

• Be ready to seize the moment.

Notice that I didn't say seize the moment, I said be ready to seize the moment.

When Nick Foles called for the “Philly Special” on fourth and goal from the one-yard line late in the second quarter, it was a superb example of seizing the moment that paid off big for the team. The Eagles went into the halftime break up 22-12 over the Patriots.

The success of that fantastic trick play was not just good luck. It was planning, practice and strategy.

Eagles coach assistant Press Taylor reportedly found the play—which had been used by the Bears in the previous season—and brought it to head coach Doug Pedersen, who gave it the green light for the NFC title game against the Vikings. Wide receivers coach Mike Groh and offensive coordinator Frank Reich worked together on the play with the team ahead of both the division game and the Super Bowl. The team reportedly practiced for weeks so they could execute the Philly Special perfectly.

And of course, that play wouldn't work just any time. Foles saw the opportunity in the moment, and Pedersen agreed to seize it.

Planning, practice, strategy—and success.

BTI predicts that spending on outside legal firms will increase by about $3 billion in 2018—for the first time in 10 years, but also cautions that clients are being strategic in their spending.  Some practice areas will grow more than others, and a few areas will decline. Clients are also likely to concentrate spending on fewer firms on their rosters of go-to firms—good news if you're serving your clients well; bad news if you're not, or worse, don't know how your clients feel about you. Clients are also looking for even more value from the firms they are giving work to—another opportunity to seize upon, if you can deliver.

Are you ready to seize the opportunities that will drive your marketing success? Do you know what your clients want—and what your competitors are doing? Do you have business development goals and marketing strategies to meet them?  Is your digital presence—your bio, your practice pages and your website—as good as it could be?

• Play like a team.

“The Eagles just lost Carson Wentz, and their shot at the Super Bowl.”

So predicted the Washington Post the day Coach Pedersen confirmed that Eagles star quarterback Carson Wentz was out for the season with a torn ACL.

The article goes on to predict: “The Eagles will not be OK without Carson Wentz,” and while the team had a chance of “eking out” one post-season victory, it had no hope of winning three—and most likely not even two—playoff games against three good teams. It was “simply not realistic”— not with a bordering-on-has-been backup quarterback and decent, but not standout, offensive and defensive players.

Well, we all know how that ended, don't we?

And we know why too.

Because the Eagles came together as a team—as they had been consistently throughout the season, weathering injuries and the loss of players that would have detailed most other teams' seasons.

Like football, good marketing is a team sport, especially in today's climate. Clients continue to winnow down their list of outside counsel, preferring to give more of their work to fewer firms. Deepening your relationship with existing clients and cross-marketing your firm's services to capture legal spend in other practice areas is a win-win situation for clients and firms. From the law firm perspective, the more integrated a firm is with a client and the more different kinds of services it provides, the less likely the client is to unwind the relationship to move to another firm. From the client perspective, the more and better a law firm understands the range of legal and business issues, the better and more cost-efficient counsel and representation it will receive from its lawyer

As I mentioned in “What Your Partners Don t Know Can Hurt You,” conscious cross-marketing— firm-wide commitment, strategic, high-level vision for the best avenues and opportunities for your firm, and good planning and execution—is an effective driver of growth for your entire team.

• Follow through on your promises.  

Back in July of last year, Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson made a promise to Eagles fans. Speaking to reporters during a pre-season practice, Johnson promised: “I think if we have a few big years and make the playoffs, if we win a Super Bowl, I'm giving out beer to everybody.” Beer company Bud Light jumped on the beer-for-all bandwagon, proposing a deal with Johnson in a tweet: “Let's make a bet. Win it all and the party is on us. Deal?”

Johnson made good on his promise—in record time—and so did Bud Light. In a brilliant (and no doubt expensive) marketing maneuver, the beer company changed its now famous “Dilly Dilly” campaign to “Philly Philly” after the Super Bowl win and made good on their promise, offering free Bud Light to Eagles fans at 25 taverns along the parade route.

What does free beer have to do with legal marketing?

Clients want you to live up to your promises. And they will punish you with loss of business when you don't. Depart from the agreed-upon strategy without telling them, fail to communicate on a regular basis, or blow through established budgets and you'll lose their business. And, as the Mad Clientist explains, rather than communicate their disappointment, many clients will simply stop giving you work.

The NFL season is over and the Vince Lombardi trophy is resting comfortably in its new home. But the marketing season has no end.

So as Jason Kelce said when he addressed the Phillies in spring training earlier this month: “You have to be confident enough to go out there and do what's right.”

Go team!

Meg Charendoff, the principal of CREATE: Communications—Media—Marketing, is a lawyer, writer and marketing professional who works with law firms and lawyers to develop compelling content for their marketing and business development. She can be reached at [email protected] or 215-514-3206.