The Hartford's Iconic Stag Steps Through 200 Years of History, Onto Center Court For NCAA March Madness

Business Wire, March 17, 2008

New Commercial Employs Innovative Graphics of Today to Tell Company's Enduring Story of Trust and Strength

HARTFORD, Conn. -- As sports fans turn their attention to NCAA basketball, The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: HIG), one of the nation's largest diversified financial services companies and an Official Corporate Partner of the NCAA[R], is launching an integrated marketing campaign that features a new television commercial that debuted during the tip-off of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. The 30-second spot tracks the company's iconic Stag through nearly 200 years of history and headlines a new campaign that also features a series of 15-second T.V. commercials, print and Internet advertising.

"Since 1810, The Hartford's venerable brand has represented trust, strength, stability and wisdom," said Connie Weaver, senior vice president, marketing and communications of The Hartford. "This year, our new campaign will remind viewers that The Hartford brand they know and trust and the iconic Stag have successfully guided our institution and customers through many decades and economic cycles. Our partnership with the NCAA has proven to be a valuable platform to deliver our message and remind consumers of The Hartford's continued commitment to education, teamwork and excellence."

T.V. SPOTS

The feature commercial, "200 Years in a Moment," debuted during the CBS Sports' NCAA Basketball Championship Selection Show on Sunday, March 16, and will air through CBS Sports' coverage of the NCAA tournament, continuing through the 2008 Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) and NCAA Football seasons. The commercial also will appear on cable news stations such as CNBC, Fox News and CNN through the year.

The "200 Years" spot showcases a seamless integration of stunning graphical effects that is more often seen on movie screens than in television commercials. The commercial focuses on a life-like rendering of the iconic Stag striding through a Wall Street scene populated with throngs from various historical eras as the animal progresses from frame to frame. In order to achieve the effect, state-of-the-art graphics based on leading software algorithms were employed to create the extraordinary detail for the Stag's image. Each actor, dressed in the popular fashion of the respective eras, appears in a cinematic process that creates the look of varying colors and fabric textures associated with photographs from the historical period. These technical components are imposed over shots of the actual physical exterior of Wall Street.

The Hartford's agency of record, Minneapolis-based Campbell-Mithun, served as the spot's lead creative firm, while Oscar-winning effects company Rhythm & Hues also provided creative and technical services. The spot was directed by Tarsem, the award-winning director of music videos, films and commercials.

"With this new spot, we've married the enduring tradition and integrity of the Stag with cutting-edge technology. We think this is a fitting effect for a company that values its history and stability as it looks ahead as an innovative market leader for the next 200 years," said Weaver.

In addition to "200 Years" and the company's new 15-second brand commercials, The Hartford also will re-air its popular "Trophies" spot, which features the Stag walking along a trophy-lined corridor onto the basketball court where legendary U.C.L.A. coach John Wooden led his teams to a record 10 NCAA Division I men's basketball championships. Coach Wooden serves as narrator, offering comments on winning with integrity and the importance teamwork and trust.

PRINT CAMPAIGN

In conjunction with the television campaign, this month The Hartford also has begun a national print advertising program consisting of five new print ads. The ads reinforce The Hartford's long history as a brand known, and still relied on, for strength, stability and trust for investment and insurance products for businesses and individuals. The print program appears in several news and thought-leader publications, including Time, Newsweek, the New York Times Magazine, Fortune and Money and many others. Like the company's new T.V. commercials, the print ads will run through the rest of 2008.

INTERNET MARKETING

The Hartford will again this year sponsor the hugely popular NCAA March Madness On Demand product, which offers fans the opportunity to watch for free, on their computers, live and archived full-game broadcasts of CBS Sports' television coverage of the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. The Hartford's commercials will be embedded in all of these broadcasts, creating additional viewer exposure to the company's message.

"Our On Demand advertising has become an integral piece of our marketing plan for the tournament. With each passing year, more and more basketball fans are logging onto their computers to catch up on NCAA March Madness games, making the Internet an increasingly critical platform to send The Hartford's message," said Weaver.