Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1097422
V O L . X X V N O. V I I A P R I L 1 , 2 0 1 9 22 N alja Frayha, Unum's Portland- based senior vice president and chief marketing officer, readily admits the employee benefits provider operates in a "boring" industry. at perhaps was all the more reason to get creative in a new national adver- tising campaign with the VIA Agency, the Portland group behind L.L.Bean's "Be An Outsider" campaign. "We've got U," launched for Unum in February, seeks to reassure employ- ers that their employees need not worry about benefits no matter what they're doing—whether savoring outdoor activities, cycling through city traffic, having a baby or flipping a skillet in a restaurant kitchen. Unum is named only at the very end of the 51-second spot, along with "We've got U." ere are also 15-second vignettes in the series, which is exclusively online. "You use TV when you are trying to reach millions of eyeballs, but in this case we are targeting 400,000 decision mak- ers several times a day," Frayha explains. "When they're at work, on their laptop researching new benefits options, on mobile between meetings, checking social channels, after work on their tablet catching up on news and entertainment, we will be there. It's about exposure, it's not about broad reach." Unum joins a growing list of financial firms—from credit unions to full-service banks—doing online video marketing. While some collaborate with outside agencies like Unum with VIA and Norway Savings Bank with Ethos, of Westbrook, others are staff- ing up in-house. Digital's growing appeal While ad spending on TV still eclipses online video, digital is gathering pace as advertisers seek to capitalize on how technology is changing the way people get their news and entertainment, shop, bank and do business. One study, by video company Wyzowl, found that the average con- sumer watches more than 90 minutes of online video content per day, with 15% averaging over three hours; video mar- keting is rising rapidly among brands and marketers; and YouTube is the most-used video marketing channel. Another report, by Deloitte, forecasts that while TV ad spending will stay flat between 2018 and 2022, digital video ad spending will nearly double over the same period to $50.6 billion — poten- tially overtaking TV if the trend holds. e authors note that while con- sumer giants like Procter & Gamble built their brands in the mid-1990s with Banking on commercials Financial services firms roll out digital video ads in Maine and beyond B y r e n e e c o r d e S F O C U S S O U R C E : Emarketer 2018 cited in 'The State of Financial Services Advertising: 4 Digital Spend Trends to Watch,' MDG Advertising U.S. FINANCIAL SERVICES MOBILE AD SPENDING U.S. FINANCIAL SERVICES DIGITAL VIDEO AD SPENDING U.S. FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY DIGITAL AD SPENDING P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Leeann Leahy, left, CEO of VIA Agency, and Najla Frayha, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Unum, at VIA's Portland offices. 2016 2017 2017 2018 2018 $8,780,000,000 2017 $11,010,000,000 2018 $13,050,000,000 $1,440,000,000 $1,750,000,000 2019 $15,250,000,000 $7,450,000,000 $9,130,000,000