• September 27, 2011

John Hancock Funds is extending its "Who Knew" ad campaign through the end of 2011.

The campaign, which includes TV, print and online, has resulted in advisers being 50% more likely to recommend John Hancock mutual funds to clients, according to the company, and one-third of advisers now have a more positive impression of John Hancock Funds.

The campaign originally launched in February 2011 and was created by Boston-based Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos. The key message is that, while John Hancock is recognized as a provider of life insurance, annuities and long-term care insurance, it also offers a mutual fund company offering four- and five-star funds, as rated by Morningstar.

The fall media plan will run through mid-December, focusing on high profile sporting events. TV ads will appear during key college football matchups on CBS and ABC, as well as on cable networks including ESPN and ESPN2. The campaign will have additional visibility on financial cable networks CNBC and Bloomberg, and advisor-focused websites including Morningstar.com and TheStreet.com.

Print ads featuring the campaign will appear in Financial Planning, Investment Advisor, Plan Sponsor and Registered Rep. Online ads will be featured on: ESPN.com, Forbes.com, Morningstar.com, SmartMoney.com, SportsIllustrated.com, TheStreet.com, and WallStreetJournal.com.--Tanya Irwin