Genworth Presents 100+ Stories

"This campaign is a celebration of life," said Buzz Richmond, Genworth's senior vice president for brand marketing. "It reminds viewers and readers that people are living longer, healthier lives in retirement—and what better way than featuring these wonderful centenarians and their incredible stories..."

Read the press release and watch the two videos.

And visit the web site.

An A+ for the trumpeter spot—this because it deserves it and the concept of retirement is nowhere to be found. (Although it is mentioned in the other spot and on the web site…)

Yeah, I'm nit-picking. Ignore me. This is a fine campaign. (Is that really Rosie playing the trumpet on the music bed? …. Oh, never mind. I'm nitpicking again.)

And an A+ for Roberta's spot. I love it when she says, "I never thought I'd live to be one-hundred. Never crossed my mind." In a piece on The Mature Market site I talk about the difference between previous generations and Baby Boomers—and their notions of living longer.

A thorough backgrounder for this campaign is Kelly Greene's piece in The Wall Street Journal (subscription required):

Many marketers have avoided using the elderly in commercials targeting baby boomers, worried that reminders of aging would turn them off.

Yes—but in this case we're talking about an age four or five decades removed from where Baby Boomers are now. These spots are inspiring because we're nowhere near that age.

Sure, I might have made them a bit less slick and a bit more real and down-to-earth. But again, I'm nitpicking. Slap me. They're top-notch.

I hope Genworth tosses up their complete campaign, print ads and all, on the web. I don't want to miss any of it.