Northwestern Mutual has posted a video series on Facebook and YouTube that features actual customers sharing their personal insurance stories. The goal of the videos is to show how the Milwaukee-based company can help provide financial security over a lifetime, no matter what the circumstances. The videos are part of the insurance company's "A Foundation for Life" campaign, which broke in August with TV, print and online and was created by Minneapolis-based Olson. Through a range of educational and interactive materials, this campaign is targeted to those seeking long-term protection and flexibility as protection against market volatility, says Northwestern Mutual Marketing Vice President Conrad York. "We aim to bring attention to the unique benefits that permanent life insurance offers," York tells Marketing Daily. "It is flexible and creates a lifelong foundation from which to manage financial risk and offers consistent, guaranteed cash value growth over time." To publicize the videos, over 7,000 Northwestern Mutual field representatives have the option to include links to their clients via Facebook and LinkedIn status updates and traditional email. Links to the videos will also appear on field rep network office web sites. "Our next round of communications will focus directly on the markets where the policy owners are located (Iowa and California) to help drive traffic there locally," says Northwestern Mutual Director of Corporate and Public Relations Darryll Fortune. "Early next year, we will announce a component through the Northwestern Mutual Foundation where consumers will be encouraged to view the videos." The company currently has about 6,400 Facebook fans and will work to increase that number next year, Fortune tells Marketing Daily. "In 2010, our core focus has been to equip our financial representatives with the tools necessary to network on Facebook and LinkedIn," Fortune says. "Interacting on social networks gives our financial experts another opportunity to make an initial connection with clients and appropriately position themselves to discuss holistic financial security and planning. However, in 2011 you can expect to see increased activity on Northwestern Mutual's Facebook page, helping us to build and reinforce our brand." In one of the three-minute videos, Dale Johnson, a retired schoolteacher in Waverly, Iowa, talks about his wife Sandy's wish to use the benefit from her Northwestern Mutual permanent life insurance policy to endow the school she taught at for many years. In another video, Laura and Jeff Kopczynski transform a neglected residence into Cedar Montessori preschool in Glendale, Calif., due in large part to the cash value from their family's Northwestern Mutual permanent life insurance policies. A third features a couple which run a catering business in Readlyn, Iowa, and are able to purchase a home and invest in and expand their business due to their permanent life insurance.
Signaling broader social ambitions, Glam Media on Monday named Ryan Stern as head of a newly created Social Communities unit. With its blog-based origins, the female-focused media and ad network has always been "social." Yet, as CEO Samir Arora admits, the social landscape has changed rapidly since he founded Glam in 2005. "We are now building the next-generation social communities platform for authors," Arora said. What that will eventually look like, and when it might launch, is not yet clear. Formerly VP of publishing at FoodBuzz and Federated Media, Stern believes that Glam is already well positioned to thrive in an increasingly social media universe. "Glam is ultimately the number one company to work at if you want to fundamentally transform the way authors want to build social communities at scale," Stern said. As VP of Social Communities at Glam, Stern will be expected to oversee some 2,000 publishers, bloggers, and authors, as well as create social activation and community programs. Stern will report directly to Jennifer Salant, recently appointed SVP, Glam Publisher Network and Business Development. As VP of Publishing at FoodBuzz, Stern led publishing and vertical communities, and was responsible for developing content and advertising relationships with an estimated 4,500 bloggers. In addition, she was responsible for driving the social and community marketing platform for brand marketers to connect with foodies. Late last year, Glam said its flagship U.S. women's division had achieved profitability. In February, Glam raised about $50 million in a Series E round of funding. Aeris Capital led the round along with existing investors Hubert Burda Media's Burda Digital Holding and Mizuho Capital. The funds were earmarked to build what Glam is calling a Digital Media Technology Center, along with global expansion and strategic acquisitions. Meanwhile, IPO rumors were stoked when Glam hired Bruce Jaffe as CFO in May. Before leaving to run his own consultancy in 2008, Jaffe ran the corporate development group at Microsoft.
Northwestern Mutual has posted a video series on Facebook and YouTube that features actual customers sharing their personal insurance stories. The goal of the videos is to show how the Milwaukee-based company can help provide financial security over a lifetime, no matter what the circumstances. The videos are part of the insurance company's "A Foundation for Life" campaign, which broke in August with TV, print and online and was created by Minneapolis-based Olson. Through a range of educational and interactive materials, this campaign is targeted to those seeking long-term protection and flexibility as protection against market volatility, says Northwestern Mutual Marketing Vice President Conrad York. "We aim to bring attention to the unique benefits that permanent life insurance offers," York tells Marketing Daily. "It is flexible and creates a lifelong foundation from which to manage financial risk and offers consistent, guaranteed cash value growth over time." To publicize the videos, over 7,000 Northwestern Mutual field representatives have the option to include links to their clients via Facebook and LinkedIn status updates and traditional email. Links to the videos will also appear on field rep network office web sites. "Our next round of communications will focus directly on the markets where the policy owners are located (Iowa and California) to help drive traffic there locally," says Northwestern Mutual Director of Corporate and Public Relations Darryll Fortune. "Early next year, we will announce a component through the Northwestern Mutual Foundation where consumers will be encouraged to view the videos." The company currently has about 6,400 Facebook fans and will work to increase that number next year, Fortune tells Marketing Daily. "In 2010, our core focus has been to equip our financial representatives with the tools necessary to network on Facebook and LinkedIn," Fortune says. "Interacting on social networks gives our financial experts another opportunity to make an initial connection with clients and appropriately position themselves to discuss holistic financial security and planning. However, in 2011 you can expect to see increased activity on Northwestern Mutual's Facebook page, helping us to build and reinforce our brand." In one of the three-minute videos, Dale Johnson, a retired schoolteacher in Waverly, Iowa, talks about his wife Sandy's wish to use the benefit from her Northwestern Mutual permanent life insurance policy to endow the school she taught at for many years. In another video, Laura and Jeff Kopczynski transform a neglected residence into Cedar Montessori preschool in Glendale, Calif., due in large part to the cash value from their family's Northwestern Mutual permanent life insurance policies. A third features a couple which run a catering business in Readlyn, Iowa, and are able to purchase a home and invest in and expand their business due to their permanent life insurance.
A new StrongMail survey in late November, conducted by Zoomerang, reflects the attitudes of business leaders in regards to their planned marketing budgets, priorities and challenges for 2011. The data reveals an optimistic marketing outlook, with half of businesses planning to increase marketing budgets, and another 43% keeping them steady. And, for the second year in a row, email marketing and social media marketing remain the top targets for increased spend. Survey Highlights
Signaling broader social ambitions, Glam Media on Monday named Ryan Stern as head of a newly created Social Communities unit. With its blog-based origins, the female-focused media and ad network has always been "social." Yet, as CEO Samir Arora admits, the social landscape has changed rapidly since he founded Glam in 2005. "We are now building the next-generation social communities platform for authors," Arora said. What that will eventually look like, and when it might launch, is not yet clear. Formerly VP of publishing at FoodBuzz and Federated Media, Stern believes that Glam is already well positioned to thrive in an increasingly social media universe. "Glam is ultimately the number one company to work at if you want to fundamentally transform the way authors want to build social communities at scale," Stern said. As VP of Social Communities at Glam, Stern will be expected to oversee some 2,000 publishers, bloggers, and authors, as well as create social activation and community programs. Stern will report directly to Jennifer Salant, recently appointed SVP, Glam Publisher Network and Business Development. As VP of Publishing at FoodBuzz, Stern led publishing and vertical communities, and was responsible for developing content and advertising relationships with an estimated 4,500 bloggers. In addition, she was responsible for driving the social and community marketing platform for brand marketers to connect with foodies. Late last year, Glam said its flagship U.S. women's division had achieved profitability. In February, Glam raised about $50 million in a Series E round of funding. Aeris Capital led the round along with existing investors Hubert Burda Media's Burda Digital Holding and Mizuho Capital. The funds were earmarked to build what Glam is calling a Digital Media Technology Center, along with global expansion and strategic acquisitions. Meanwhile, IPO rumors were stoked when Glam hired Bruce Jaffe as CFO in May. Before leaving to run his own consultancy in 2008, Jaffe ran the corporate development group at Microsoft.