Leading reverse mortgage lender American Advisors Group (AAG) has officially rolled out its “Better Lives” advertising campaign, which features a series of borrower testimonials and interviews conducted by longtime company spokesman Tom Selleck.
To create the new campaign, AAG enlisted the services of Bear in the Hall, a creative agency based in New York. They also enlisted the skills of British film director Peter Chelsom, who has directed such films as 2014’s Hector and the Search for Happiness starring Simon Pegg and Rosamund Pike, 2001’s Serendipity starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale and 2004’s Shall We Dance? starring Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez.
The creative agency also tapped artist Alecia Renece to perform a cover rendition of the 1960s Motown song “Please Mr. Postman,” originally performed by the Marvelettes.
“Bear in the Hall was motivated by the real stories of AAG borrowers,” said Tom Cook, chief creative officer and co-founder of Bear in the Hall in a statement announcing the campaign’s rollout. “Millions of people have benefited from accessing their home equity, and we knew one of the best ways to tell the AAG story was to hear it right from the actual borrowers. It was so inspiring to watch these people connect with Tom Selleck and explain how AAG, in unique ways, helped them create a better life.”
AAG had been developing the “Better Lives” campaign for over six months, and has designed it to feature a broad-based strategy to connect with potential reverse mortgage clients through online video, a website, social media, and dedicated television advertising.
“I would say it’s a new approach, and one that we believe is necessary to take not just for AAG, but for the [reverse mortgage] industry as a whole,” said Eddie Herda, brand leader for AAG in an October interview about the campaign. “To really start discussing the importance of the use of home equity in retirement, not just from a company’s point of view, or from an Excel spreadsheet, but really from people whose lives have been changed because they were able to take advantage of this financial strategy.”
Emphasizing the personal stories of the highlighted borrowers was at the top of the list in terms of what the organization wanted to accomplish with the new campaign, Herda said.
“The new integrated campaign provides an intimate glimpse into everyday stories using AAG customers,” Herda said in a statement. “Over the years, we have received hundreds of handwritten letters from our clients that express the meaningful difference AAG has played in helping them live a better life. This thematic campaign will have a bigger, more cinematic feel than past commercials.”
The Better Lives vignettes are visible on a dedicated website for the campaign.
