Have You Heard of Voya? Allison Janney, Jesse Tyler Ferguson Aim to Change That

Voya Financial wants Americans to know that it can help them retire better. The New York-based retirement, investment and insurance firm has recruited celebrities Allison Janney, of "West Wing" and "Mom" fame, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson of "Modern Family" to deliver that message. As a newer brand -- Voya was formerly known as the U.S. arm of Dutch multinational ING Group before its IPO in 2013 -- getting the word out about services is critical, explained Voya CMO Ann Glover. "The whole goal is to get Voya talked about," Ms. Glover said. "We wanted to tap into America's love of celebrities to draw interest to the brand." Beginning Jan. 4, Voya will air a series of spots featuring the actors interacting with orange origami animals. In one commercial, an acorn-saving squirrel, Voya's "spokes-metaphor," teaches Ms. Janney about the importance of planning for retirement. The company is investing $100 million in total to introduce its brand to Americans. The introductory effort first began last year when Voya aired a campaign featuring a giant butterfly undergoing metamorphosis, meant to signal Voya's transition from ING. The new orange animals in the current campaign are actually folded up bills which represent the money consumers should be saving, versus the green money they are spending. The new spots, which will be supplemented by online videos, will air throughout 2016 on a range of networks. BBDO Atlanta worked on the campaign. The Mill worked on animation and effects. "We're very optimistic -- everybody has that opportunity to save and take those first productive steps," said Ms. Glover. She noted that already consumers are taking notice -- over half of those familiar with Voya as a brand are aware that the company provides retirement services, according to internal market research. For the third quarter ended Sept. 30, Voya reported revenue of $210 million, a 37% decline over the year-earlier period, and profit of $40.3 million.

Have You Heard of Voya? Allison Janney, Jesse Tyler Ferguson Aim to Change That

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