John Hancock Launches New "Life Comes Next" Ad Campaign, Integrating TV, Online and Social Media

BOSTON, Sept. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- John Hancock's new advertising campaign integrates television, online and social media as it tells four separate stories of individuals and families facing pivotal life moments and challenges, and invites viewers to complete each story by viewing videos of three alternative endings. The "Life Comes Next" campaign, launched yesterday, begins each story in a TV ad and then sends viewers to a dedicated microsite, HancockNext.com, where they may finish the stories, join in a discussion about them, and obtain information related to each financial scenario.

"Life Comes Next stays true to John Hancock's advertising legacy of authentic depictions of real life situations, while at the same time reflecting today's reality that many are watching TV with their smart phone, laptop or tablet active at the same time as well," said James W. Bacharach, Vice President of Brand, Marketing & Creative Services.

The new campaign marks 30 years of partnership between John Hancock and advertising agency Hill Holliday, and was created under the direction of Mark Nardi, Bob Gates, Joe Fallon, and Chief Creative Officer Lance Jensen. Memorable prior Hill Holliday campaigns for John Hancock have included "Real Life. Real Answers," "Investments for the Opportunities. Insurance for the Unexpected," and "Cursor."  

"We're enormously proud of this work, and of our 30–year relationship with John Hancock," said Karen Kaplan, Chairman and CEO of Hill Holliday. "The best client is one who is truly innovative, who challenges you to stay true to their brand while adapting swiftly to the changing habits of consumers in a creative, modern way. The team at John Hancock defines that, and we're deeply grateful for the partnership. We look forward to continuing to help them grow their business with marketing that's both unexpected and powerful."

The four television ads comprising Life Comes Next feature empathetic portrayals of common experiences:

• "The Call" depicts a mother receiving an important telephone call while her high-school aged daughter, who is doing her homework, listens.  Viewers find out what has happened by going online: does the call bring news of a sudden death, an attractive job offer, or has someone in the family discovered they are having twins?
• In "The Knock," a man knocks on a bedroom door, entering to find either his daughter, grappling with where she can afford to go to college; his recently widowed mother, who may not have enough to live on for the rest of her life; or his wife, worried that her elderly father has run out of money.
• A man is summoned to a senior executive's office in "The Meeting." Is he leaving the company to start his own business, being asked to take 'early retirement,' or being promoted?
• In "The Ride," parents are embarking on a car trip with either: their teenaged son who is starting college, their young son who is starting daycare as Mom returns to work, or a grandfather who is moving into a nursing home.

Along with the story videos, on the HancockNext website viewers will learn where to find more information about financial concerns, as well as noteworthy statistics such as average student loan debt, the percentage of mothers who are the top earners in their families, and the percentage of Americans who have a plan for long-term care.

The campaign also will include an active social media component, Bacharach said. "We will be fostering a dialogue, asking viewers how they think the story should or most likely will end, and to share their own experiences." The audience is invited to join the conversation at #lifecomesnext.

Several aspects of the campaign are new for John Hancock. "Now, there is a significantly higher online video content whereas before, for us, television had been an end in itself," Bacharach noted. "In addition, this ad series highlights the broad range of insurance and financial product solutions available from the company, while in recent years we had given more emphasis to investment offerings." 

The new ads will air on high profile televised sporting events, including network and cable college football games, fall golf tournaments, and the NFL Network.  They will also appear on popular cable lifestyle channels such as the Food Network, HGTV, the History Channel, and America's Heroes (formerly the Military Channel).

Online, the ads will appear on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Forbes.com, SI Wire, ESPN.com, and Yahoo Finance.

About John Hancock Financial and Manulife
John Hancock Financial is a division of Manulife, a leading Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. Operating as Manulife in Canada and Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, our group of companies offers clients a diverse range of financial protection products and wealth management services through its extensive network of employees, agents and distribution partners. Funds under management by Manulife and its subsidiaries were C$637 billion (US$597 billion) as at June 30 2014. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife can be found on the Internet at manulife.com.

The John Hancock unit, through its insurance companies, comprises one of the largest life insurers in the United States. John Hancock offers and administers a broad range of financial products, including life insurance, annuities, investments, 401(k) plans, long-term care insurance, college savings, and other forms of business insurance. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at johnhancock.com.

About Hill Holliday
Hill Holliday is proud to be among the top creative marketing agencies in the country, with 950 employees across its network. We work on some of the nation's largest and most respected brands, and our success came by putting people and ideas first. We were founded in 1968 and today we bring unbeatable talent and expertise to every area of modern communications on behalf of industry leaders like Cadillac, Verizon Wireless, Bank of America, Dunkin' Donuts, (RED), John Hancock, Major League Baseball, TJX, Merrell, Capella University, Chili's, Novartis, Great Wolf Resorts and WHOLE WORLD Water. For more about our people, our work, and our culture, please visit http://www.hhcc.com.

SOURCE John Hancock Financial