Insurance Marketing Podcast Focuses on Marketing to Employers Through Brokers with Ric Ritter of MetLife

Business Wire, Oct 25, 2006

OLDWICK, N.J. -- The latest edition of "The Insurance Marketing and Advertising Podcast" features a conversation with MetLife Vice President of Institutional Business Ric Ritter, on how MetLife is leveraging the broker channel to build its employer-based business. Ritter notes that one initiative that MetLife is currently working on is ways to keep the message consistent across many channels, including when brokers deliver the message on its behalf.

MetLife's Institutional Business is one of the nation's largest employee benefits providers, providing more than 16 products to plan sponsors and employees. Ritter leads a marketing team in support of Institutional Business for MetLife and develops marketing programs for agents and brokers who represent small, midsize and large businesses ranging from a handful to 25,000 employees. Ritter has also previously held marketing positions at firms such as T. Rowe Price and Fidelity Investments, mainly in the 401(k) area. These days, he's using his post at MetLife to help companies and their employees look at retirement tools that go beyond 401(k)s.

"We have a comprehensive educational campaign aimed at raising the level of awareness among employees that their 401(k) may not be the only thing they need to plan for a secure retirement," Ritter said. "MetLife has developed a number of protection and income products over the past several years to help people who have accumulated money in their 401(k) plan turn it into lifelong streams of income."

"One key to success is to help brokers build their marketing profile," Ritter said. MetLife has also developed "benchmarking tools" that brokers can use to advise companies of their coverage needsCotools that also help the broker raise their own profile as a knowledgeable resource, he said.

Ritter will speak at the Insurance Marketing and Advertising Summit, being held on Nov. 3, 2006, at the University Club, One West 54th Street, in New York City. The one-day conference, presented by A.M. Best and the Insurance Media Association, will explore marketing and advertising for property/casualty, life and health insurers, agents and brokers, and other organizations. Admission is $99.

In conjunction with the Summit, A.M. Best and the Insurance Media Association have launched a new podcast series focused on insurance marketing and advertising issues. Listen or subscribe to "The Insurance Marketing and Advertising Podcast" at http://feeds.feedburner.com/insurancemarketing.> The iTunes address is http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=19108 0586. (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)

For conference information and details on registering and exhibiting, visit www.ambest.com/conferences/advconference.html.> A.M. Best Co., established in 1899, is the world's oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit A.M. Best's Web site at http://www.ambest.com.

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