Northwestern Mutual to break new advertising during the Rose Bowl

MILWAUKEE, Dec. 31, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Northwestern Mutual will debut new, financial planning themed advertising during the January 1 broadcast of the Rose Bowl Game on ABC.

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The spots, created by Olson in Minneapolis, Minn., are the latest iteration in Northwestern Mutual's successful "Columns" campaign. Running since 2010, the ads showcase visually distinctive imagery that conveys the company's financial strength and the importance of financial security to its current and prospective clients.

Directed by James Gartner (live action) and Capacity (animation), with music composed by Nylon, the new spots will leverage and amplify Northwestern Mutual's multiyear partnership with the NCAA^® by including footage of actors portraying student-athletes as the first live-action images to appear during the animated campaign. The live-action provides a metaphor to help showcase how planning and teamwork, coaching, discipline and practicing the fundamentals lead to positive, long-term results.

"This campaign effectively communicates the importance of a distinctive financial planning process and our proven results in our industry," said Conrad York, vice president of marketing at Northwestern Mutual.  "The strong tie between planning and sports resonates with our clients and prospects so we're excited to debut this campaign."

The series includes six :30 spots in all, including a football-themed spot title "Long Gain" that will air during the Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl and BCS Championship game. Other spots will feature actors portraying collegiate student-athletes playing men's and women's basketball, baseball, and softball.

Basketball themed ads will launch during regular college basketball season on networks such as ESPN and CBS, and continue into the NCAA Women's Final Four® on ESPN and NCAA Men's Division I Championship® airing across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV, with this year's 2014 Men's Final Four® airing on TBS and National Championship airing on CBS. They will be supported by local sponsorships, events in key markets, and a short video series exclusively on ESPN and ESPN.com featuring current NCAA basketball coaches sharing how they help their team plan for success.

The commercial that will be aired during the Rose Bowl can be viewed here.

About Northwestern Mutual
Northwestern Mutual is among the "World's Most Admired" life insurance companies in 2013 according to FORTUNE® magazine and has helped clients achieve financial security for more than 156 years. As a mutual company with $1.4 trillion of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual has no shareholders. The company focuses solely and directly on its clients and seeks to deliver consistent and dependable value to them over time.

Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, Milwaukee, WI, and its subsidiaries. Northwestern Mutual and its subsidiaries offer a holistic approach to financial security solutions including: life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability income insurance, annuities, investment products, and advisory products and services. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC, broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company, limited purpose federal savings bank; Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company; and Russell Investments.

SOURCE Northwestern Mutual