The Hartford Launches New Ad Campaign On Super Bowl

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Company Uses Humor To Lighten Up Serious Products

HARTFORD, Conn. (BUSINESS WIRE) -The Hartford Financial Services Group,Inc. (NYSE:HIG) today announced a new corporate advertising campaign to be launched during the Super Bowl January 31.

By injecting humor into everyday situations to highlight products ranging from insurance to annuities, the new campaign expands on The Hartford’s current advertising theme to continue to build its recognition as a leading provider of solutions to life events. The current campaign, which encourages The Hartford’s customers to Bring It On, gets a boost in four new advertisements that explore tongue-in-cheek possibilities that everyday life can render, noting Whatever Life Brings You, Bring It On.

“We found Bring It On instills a positive, confident feeling that has been effective in invigorating our image as a successful, energetic and experienced corporation that can be trusted to serve customers well,”said The Hartford’s Chairman and CEO Ramani Ayer. “We wanted to extend that, and the significant brand recognition of our logo, the stagdeer, to help distinguish The Hartford from the complex field of financial services companies.”

While portraying The Hartford’s vibrant character, the ads emphasize the company’s key industry-leading product areas – wealth accumulation products such as annuities and mutual funds, small commercial insurance and automobile insurance. The new campaign was developed by Boston-based Arnold Communications, which also created the current Bring It On theme for The Hartford in 1997. Breaking at the Super Bowl on FOX with two 30-second spots during the pre-game show and the third quarter, the new ads will run on such premier programs as “60 Minutes” and “60 Minutes II” on CBS,”Moneyline” on CNN and major golf tournaments throughout the year. For heightened visibility, The Hartford also has secured billboard sponsorship of “60 Minutes II” and “Moneyline.” Print ads will run in the Wall Street Journal in 1999.

“Research shows the adage ‘to know us is to love us’ applies to The Hartford,” Ayer said. “We want more people to know us through this campaign, and to identify with the company’s confident personality. People don’t necessarily have a high interest in insurance or financial services, and often associate the industry with a stodginess that isn’t inherent in The Hartford’s corporate culture. With humor, we believe more people will react positively to the company and the products that are needed to secure their property and their future.”The Hartford is one of the nation’s largest international insurance and financial services operations, with 1998 revenues of $15 billion. As of December 31, 1998, The Hartford had assets of $150.6 billion and shareholders’ equity of $6.4 billion. The company is a leading provider of commercial property and casualty insurance; reinsurance; automobile and homeowners coverages; and a variety of life insurance, investment products, employee benefits, group retirement plans and institutional liability funding products.

The Hartford’s Internet address is http://www.thehartford.com.