The Hartford Employs Full-Court Press with New Ad Campaign |
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Written by U.S. Insurance News
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Sunday, 23 March 2008 |
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As the madness of March hoops heats up, basketball fans tuning in to see how their brackets are faring will see an iconic figure on their TV sets-The Hartford Stag.
The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc., an official corporate partner of the NCAA, has launched an integrated marketing campaign that features a new television commercial that debuted during the CBS Sports' NCAA Basketball Championship Selection Show on March 16. The 30-second spot tracks the Stag through nearly 200 years of company history and headlines a new campaign that also features a series of 15-second TV commercials as well as print and Internet advertising.
"Since 1810, The Hartford's venerable brand has represented trust, strength, stability, and wisdom," explained Connie Weaver, senior vice president for marketing and communications of The Hartford. "This year, our new campaign will remind viewers that The Hartford brand they know and trust and the iconic Stag have successfully guided our institution and customers through many decades and economic cycles."
The blending of The Hartford's message with the popular basketball tournament works well for the carrier, according to Weaver.
"Our partnership with the NCAA has proven to be a valuable platform to deliver our message and remind consumers of The Hartford's continued commitment to education, teamwork, and excellence," she said.
The feature commercial, "200 Years in a Moment," will air through CBS Sports' coverage of the NCAA tournament and continue through the 2008 PGA and NCAA football seasons. The commercial also will appear on cable news stations such as CNBC, Fox News, and CNN throughout the year.
In addition to "200 Years" and the new 15-second brand commercials, The Hartford also will re-air its popular "Trophies" spot, which features the Stag walking along a trophy-lined corridor onto the UCLA basketball court, where John Wooden, the legendary former coach, led his Bruins teams to a record 10 NCAA Division I men's basketball championships. Coach Wooden serves as narrator for that ad.
To buttress its TV spots during the basketball tournament, The Hartford will again this year sponsor the popular NCAA March Madness On Demand, which gives fans the chance to watch live and archived full-game broadcasts of CBS coverage of the tournament games on their computers at no cost. The Hartford's commercials will be embedded in all of these broadcasts, creating additional viewer exposure to the company's message.
"Our On Demand advertising has become an integral piece of our marketing plan for the tournament," Weaver said. "With each passing year, more and more basketball fans are logging onto their computers to catch up on NCAA March Madness games, making the Internet an increasingly critical platform to send The Hartford's message."
This month The Hartford also began a national print advertising program consisting of five new ads in publications such as Time, Newsweek, the New York Times Magazine, Fortune, and Money. |
