New Nationwide Insurance marketing campaign invites you to "Join the Nation"

TV spots to launch during NBC's coverage of 2012 London Summer Olympics

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 17, 2012

Contacts:
Eric Hardgrove 614-677-8516
hardgre@nationwide.com

Elizabeth Giannetti 614-249-7705
giannee@nationwide.com

Columbus, OH – Nationwide Insurance will debut a new integrated national marketing campaign, Join the Nation, on July 27, including fresh television ads. The first Join the Nation TV ads will air during NBC’s broadcast of the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Summer Olympics and will include a familiar voice. Actress Julia Roberts will provide the voice-over for many creative elements of Join the Nation, which aims to bring home Nationwide’s value proposition to consumers.

“Nationwide is On Your Side is a familiar tagline and jingle, but not many people understand exactly what it means,” said Matt Jauchius, Nationwide’s Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer.  “Our goal with this campaign is to tell the story of who we are as a company and what our On Your Side promise truly stands for – doing what’s right for our members and protecting the things and the people they hold dear. This is our invitation for consumers to Join the Nation and experience all the benefits that go along with being a member of Nationwide.”

Developed in partnership with Durham, North Carolina.-based ad agency McKinney, the new campaign will include television, radio, digital and print advertising aligned to show consumers how Nationwide cares about its members. The creative highlights Nationwide’s mutual structure, which has allowed the company to put members first, not shareholders, since it was founded in 1926.

“Anthem,” a 30- and 60-second spot, celebrates the lives of Nationwide members and all that being part of this special member community has to offer.

The second ad, “Disappear,” focuses on Nationwide’s Vanishing Deductible product, an option for members that rewards them for safe driving. This ad will begin running in August.

In addition, a unique digital-based strategy has been created to engage agents, current customers and potential customers through a number of social media channels. A dedicated campaign website, www.jointhenation.com, will provide ongoing, protection-oriented content that encourages participation from members and other key audiences.

Features of jointhenation.com:
• Ask the Nation: A place to get questions answered. Ask and answer is an application that allows current members and prospects to ask questions about insurance. Nationwide and its members can respond to these questions.

• Real members. Real stories: The place where Nationwide hears from our members about how Nationwide was there for them when they needed it most. It will feature real members telling their story on camera and will provide others an opportunity to upload their own user-generated video to the site.

“We believe people want more from an insurance company, and we want customers to know that while insurance policies may seem to be a commodity, care and protection are not,” said Jennifer Hanley, senior vice president of brand marketing for Nationwide Insurance. “When we were considering how to bring our message to life, we were looking for a familiar voice that would bring our brand attributes to life. Julia Roberts’ voice brings an assuring, confident tone to the campaign that resonates well with our target audience.”

Nationwide employees will help kick off the campaign during the weekend of July 27-29 at the NASCAR Nationwide Series Indy 250 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Web.com Tour’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital Invitational golf tournament in Columbus, Ohio.

Nationwide’s 3,000+ exclusive agents also will play an important role in activating the campaign in the communities they serve.

About Nationwide
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the U.S. and is rated A+ by both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s. The company provides customers a full range of insurance and financial services, including auto insurance, motorcycle, boat, homeowners, pet, life insurance, farm, commercial insurance, annuities, mortgages, mutual funds, pensions, long-term savings plans and specialty health services. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com.

Nationwide, On Your Side, Join the Nation, and the Nationwide Framemark are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.