Pick the brain of attorney and 2x law firm founder Mike Jaafar and you’ll see pretty fast why fortune cookie ads are, for him, a winning case. Every time.
As a personal injury and bankruptcy attorney, he lives in a category where marketing tends to look the same, sound the same, and show up the same (hello, billboards). So when he first got wind of OpenFortune from his own online research, his reaction was more curiosity than hesitancy:
“Before that first payment cleared, I thought what am I getting into, right?” But the differentiation opportunity was simply too strong. “If you ask any lawyer, at any given time in history, do you want to start marketing? They’ll tell you, do something different. Be different. Don’t do the same thing as everybody. And then they go and do the same thing as everybody else.”
For Jaafar, fortune cookies represented a promising pivot away from that monotonous norm. “I told myself, this is definitely different than everybody else.”
When Doing the Same Thing Is the Risk
Jaafar was direct from day one about what mattered most. For him, “it comes down to marketing at the end of the day is just bringing attention to yourself.”
A medium that successfully brings attention to his firm, with added novelty and intimacy, though? Case closed.
“I don’t think anybody picks up Chinese takeout for breakfast at their desk. They do it at home, when watching a movie, when relaxing, when kicking back, and you’re there with them in the room. Nobody else.”
That moment matters. Especially in personal injury, where trust and memory drive prospects to actually pick up the phone and book a consultation.
Mike noticed the impact almost instantly, particularly online. “That’s what I’ve noticed especially on social. People posting about my fortune cookies…I’m in that person’s kitchen with them, and they took the time to take a picture and post it and tell their friends, ‘hey, look what I found.’ That person’s never going to forget my brand.”
The verdict was clear when comparing fortune cookies with every other marketing medium Jaafar has tried over the years. “I would put this as number one, in terms of branding... It was the most unique thing I’ve ever gotten involved with from a marketing standpoint."
A New Precedent for Memorability, Recall
Jaafar especially notes how effortless partnering with OpenFortune has been — so much so, he’s doubled down: Not only did Jaafar decide to expand his personal injury firms’ fortune cookie branding into a 2-year contract with an exclusivity deal. But he also spun up a separate, dedicated engagement for his bankruptcy firm as a cherry on top.
“It was awesome. I wish every company was the same to work with.” He explains that expectations were set clearly, and then met. “They say they’re going to do something and they’re always on time.” For a founder juggling multiple firms, that consistency mattered. “So it’s been great, completely seamless.”
In fact, Jaafar cites he was so impressed with the service, scalability, and success of his initial personal injury firm fortunes that he almost immediately doubled down engagement shortly after his initial small buy.
“When I saw how many thousands of people were seeing my small amount of fortune cookies… I thought to myself, wow, this is crazy.”
The QR code performance crossed a meaningful threshold as well, with an 8% scan rate, far exceeding typical expectations. Combined with the memorability factor, it made the next move obvious.
“I would put this as number one, in terms of branding... It was the most unique thing I’ve ever gotten involved with from a marketing standpoint."
Mike Jaafar
Founder and Attorney
Motion to Double the Fortunes
“I’m now even doing a second campaign for a completely separate brand that I have.” This time, OpenFortune would be launching special fortunes for Jaafar’s bankruptcy firm.
“Personal injury is just a different market… People are not seeing your billboard and calling you. They’re just remembering that you’re there.” But with bankruptcy, “people see your billboard and immediately decide… it’s time to call these people.” Fortune cookies, he realized, could support both ends of the business pipeline spectrum.
The experience also changed how he thought about advertising entirely. For Jaafar, the magic comes down to timelessness, placement, and staying different even as mediums, technology, and attention spans ever-evolve.
“Nobody’s ever going to want their fortunes texted to them when they go get Chinese takeout. They’re always going to want to pick up a fortune cookie and open it. They’re going to be doing that long after we’re gone.”
He continues, “AI is never going to eat your Chinese food for you… you’re always going to be opening up a fortune cookie. Always.”
That belief is a huge reason why Jaafar has already recommended OpenFortune to several attorney colleagues. “I said this is something that’s different. Why not do something different? Let everybody know.”
The Verdict Is In…
Jaafar’s experience leaning into fortune cookie marketing is a reminder the most powerful messages don’t have to be the loudest. They’re actually the ones that show up at the right moment, and linger.
If your brand is looking for a way to be remembered – not just seen – we’ve got something for you to crack open. Book a conversation with OpenFortune and see what a different kind of marketing channel can do for you.
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