What Is Securian? A Quiet Company Making Noise On The Fortune 500

May 23--If you don't know what Securian does, chances are that you will soon.

The financial-services company announced Tuesday that it was launching a marketing blitz, complete with its first TV campaign and sponsorship of four baseball teams.

The campaign -- called "Every Moment Counts" -- includes the unveiling of a new name, "Securian Financial," and a new company logo.

Also Tuesday, the company announced that for the first time it has been included in the Fortune 500 list of the largest American companies. The company's ranking in the Fortune 500 is 462nd.

Securian has $1.2 trillion of active life-insurance policies, $79 billion in assets under management, and 19 million customers in North America. It is the nation's 10th-largest insurance company.

The 138-year-old company is headquartered in downtown St. Paul. It has 5,300 employees in the U.S. and Canada, including 2,700 in St. Paul.

Beginning Wednesday, Securian will launch its first national advertising campaign, with ads that range in length from six to 60 seconds. The rotation will be heaviest in four markets: Minneapolis-St. Paul, Chicago, Denver and Houston.

In the same markets, Securian will be a sponsor of the Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies and Houston Astros. Securian will host a variety of family-themed activities in and outside of the teams' ballparks.

Ann Pilon McGarry, vice president of enterprise marketing and branding, said that to attract customers, the company needs a strong brand -- a clear public impression of what the company is and what it does.

"Our distributors want a strong brand so they can spend less time explaining who we are when educating customers about our solutions," McGarry said.

"Finally, the competition to recruit top talent is intensifying, and we know people want to work for a strong brand."

Meanwhile, Plymouth-based Polaris Industries also took a place on the Fortune 500 list Tuesday. The manufacturer of all-terrain vehicles, snowmobiles and other sport vehicles is ranked No. 496.

"Being named to the Fortune 500 is a tremendous honor and a true testament to the integrity, passion, and commitment to excellence of every Polaris employee," Scott Wine, the chairman and CEO of the 60-yera-old company, said in a statement. Polaris says it had 2017 sales of $5.4 billion.

There are currently 19 Minnesota-based companies on the Fortune 500 list.

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