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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