Edgar Snyder is a Pittsburgh lawyer, local business legend, icon, and advertising pioneer. He took a chance on communicating directly with the public at a time when doing so was unheard of in his industry. He took risks, borrowed money for advertising, and persevered through harsh criticism from his peers in the legal community. By the time his competitors realized that advertising was the right thing to do, Edgar already had a lengthy head start. Always an entertaining spokesman and an avid philanthropist, he has been fixture in our local media landscape for over 40 years.
Although Edgar Snyder is a Pittsburgher who needs no introduction, his personal and professional story may surprise you. In his candid conversation with me, Edgar talks about the challenges he went through and the negativity he endured as a result of doing something new and different in the legal profession. With the abundance of legal advertising today, it’s easy for us to forget just how unique this was in the early 1980s when he was starting Edgar Snyder and Associates. A landmark U.S. Supreme Court case in the late 1970s made advertising for lawyers permissible, which opened up new marketing opportunities that very few lawyers dared to take advantage of at that time.
Edgar was a pioneer in those early days, and he experimented with many types of ads across a variety of mediums. During our discussion, he describes the TV commercial that made him famous throughout western Pennsylvania. And in a poll conducted around that time, he even had greater facial recognition across our part of the state than President George H.W. Bush. Eventually, the rest of the industry caught up, and legal ads became the norm. But Edgar will forever be the trailblazer who took risks and set the standard in our region.
Today, Edgar is semi-retired from the law firm he built, and he spends time enjoying life with family and friends. He has remained actively involved in philanthropy by supporting causes and organizations that are near and dear to his heart. In fact, giving back is a core part of the culture that he built into his firm, and it continues to be a driving force in how his associates view their roles in the communities they serve. Edgar is still a spokesman for the law firm, and you can find him on local billboards, internet ads, and television commercials with that signature finger point and slogan that we have come to know and love.
If you have any questions or if you’d like to chat, you can reach me at my contact info below. The purpose of this podcast is to share ideas, inspire action, and build a stronger small business community here in Pittsburgh. So please say hello, tell me what you think, and let me know how I’m doing. It means a ton!
YOU CAN REACH ME AT:
Website: https://www.proprietorsofpittsburgh.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/proprietorsofpittsburghpodcast
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/proprietorsofpittsburghpodcast
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darinvilano
Phone: 412-336-8247
YOU CAN REACH EDGAR SNYDER AT:
Website: https://www.edgarsnyder.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EdgarSnyderAssociates
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edgarsnyder
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/edgar-snyder-&-associates