• by Danielle Oster , Yesterday

Financial stress is everywhere these days, and a new campaign makes the case that avoiding those fears doesn’t help.

Financial services company MassMutual addresses common financial anxieties in its “The Feeling Is Mass Mutual” campaign designed to promote financial planning services. The series of ads marks the brand’s first work with creative agency of record 72andSunny New York, after appointing the agency to that role earlier this year.

The campaign hinges on highlighting the emotional benefits of financial security connected to its services, for both consumers and financial professionals.

To bring the concept to life, one ad follows a parent whose child’s stuffed lion asks “Hey Mitch, how’s the financial freakout going?” before he expresses relief at now having a financial professional to work with. In another spot, a woman in her home office is preoccupied by concerns for her financial future when her cats start chiming in with advice about “the compound growth potential of tax-free distributions” and suggests speaking with a financial professional.  

Another ad in the campaign depicts a financial professional with his own distracting thoughts about how to best meet his clients’ needs at an art gallery opening, with his feeling of relief in being able to address those concerns intended to appeal to both financial professionals and clients (or prospective clients).

“‘The Feeling Is MassMutual’ playfully highlights a universal truth: financial planning is stressful and confusing, which can lead a lot of people to avoid the topic altogether. But avoidance doesn’t cause that worry to disappear -- instead, it lingers in the brain, serving as a distraction from the present moment,” 72andSunny Head of Creative Juliana Cobb said in a statement. “It may even reach the point that your kids' stuffed animals are talking to you. Rather than focus on that worry, we wanted to highlight the equally intense feeling of relief that comes with having one of MassMutual’s financial professionals on your side to help get things sorted.”

Supporting campaign elements apply similar thematic elements across activations including custom audio segments, paid social content, and digital banner display ads.

The campaign reflects an increased investment by MassMutual in its wealth management services. In reporting its 2024 financial performance, the company noted that the company’s wealth management business grew in 2024, achieving an annual record of $274 billion in client assets, which it attributed to increased demand for personalized financial planning.

“MassMutual continued to invest in the growth and success of its financial professionals, providing them with robust digital capabilities to better serve their clients and enhancing its portfolio of protection and wealth management solutions,” the company wrote in a statement. “What’s more, the company made strides to make its solutions more accessible, expanding and deepening its relationships with other financial institutions and independent advisors, and extending its efforts to reach more people with protection products at the worksite.”