AXA Equitable's 800-Pound Gorilla Gets Personal
March 06 2008 - 10:31AM
PR Newswire (US)
NEW YORK, March 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AXA Equitable Life
Insurance Company's recognizable 800-pound gorilla is getting
personal with visitors to the corporation's Web site,
http://www.axa-equitable.com/. While he usually acts as the
conscience of America's 77 million Baby Boomers, the gorilla now
speaks directly to consumers for the first time. Since launching
the initial series of gorilla television advertisements in 2006,
AXA Equitable has expanded his presence into print and online ads.
In all cases, the gorilla encourages Boomers to address their
retirement income needs, thereby raising awareness of annuities as
a potentially valuable option. "It's important to educate Americans
about the tools available to them for securing guaranteed income
for life," said Barbara Goodstein, AXA Equitable's Chief Innovation
Officer and Executive Vice President of Marketing. "This message
resonates today because of the sharp fluctuations we are seeing in
the capital markets, which could severely impact retirees'
lifestyles when the time comes to begin taking distributions."
Seated in an office chair, the gorilla rolls into the middle of the
computer screen and warmly greets new visitors to AXA Equitable's
Web site, marking the first time he addresses consumers. A hotlink
to his right reads, "Looking for Guaranteed Income for Life? START
HERE." When consumers return to the site, he welcomes them back,
saying, "Thanks for checking in again. Every retirement plan could
use a little updating now and then ... but what do I know? I'm just
the 800-pound gorilla in the room." And when the browser is left
open, the gorilla prompts the user to explore the site. AXA
Equitable's gorilla campaign, which was created by Merkley +
Partners, features an animatronic gorilla that appeared in
"Instinct," a major motion picture from Touchstone Pictures (1999).
About AXA Equitable's Variable Annuities "Guaranteed income for
life" refers to the guarantee feature associated with annuity
pay-outs during the annuitization phase of the product. Guarantees
are based on the claims paying ability of AXA Equitable Life
Insurance Company. Annuities are issued by AXA Equitable and
co-distributed by affiliates AXA Advisors, LLC and AXA
Distributors, LLC. Anyone considering the purchase of a variable
annuity should carefully consider the charges, risks, and expenses
of the product, as well as their own investment objectives.
Interested parties should contact a financial advisor and
thoroughly read the prospectus containing this and other
information before investing or sending money. About AXA In
business since 1859, AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company (formerly
The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States) is a
leading financial protection company and one of the nation's
premier providers of life insurance, annuity, and investment
products and services. AXA Equitable's assets under management
totaled $862.2 billion as of June 30, 2007. The company's products
and services are distributed to consumers through its retail
distribution channel AXA Advisors, LLC; to the financial services
market through its wholesale distribution channel, AXA
Distributors, LLC; and to corporations and their employees through
its corporate distribution channel, Corporate Markets. In addition,
AXA Equitable and AllianceBernstein, L.P. are affiliated companies;
AllianceBernstein is one of the largest publicly-traded global
asset management firms in the world. AXA Distributors distributes
variable annuities to financial intermediaries at brokerages,
banks, and independent financial planning firms, in addition to AXA
Advisors. AXA Equitable is a sponsor of the Variable Annuities
Knowledge Center (http://www.variableannuityfacts.org/), an online
resource aimed at helping consumers understand the facts
surrounding variable annuities. The Variable Annuities Knowledge
Center is operated by a stand-alone, non-profit organization and is
overseen by an independent advisory board. AXA Equitable is a
subsidiary of AXA Financial Inc., which is part of the global AXA
Group, a worldwide leader in financial protection strategies and
wealth management. AXA Group's operations are geographically
diverse, with major operations in Western Europe, North America,
and the Asia/Pacific region. AXA Group is listed as the 15th
largest company in the world on the 2007 Fortune Global 500 list.
It had $1.86 trillion in assets under management as of June 30,
2007. Listed on the Paris Stock Exchange, the AXA ordinary share
trades under the symbol AXA. The AXA American Depositary Share is
listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol AXA.
DATASOURCE: AXA Equitable CONTACT: Lisa Tibbitts, +1-212-314-2811,
, or Discretion Winter, +1-212-314-2968, , both of AXA Equitable
Web site: http://www.axa-equitable.com/
http://www.variableannuityfacts.org/
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