The anniversary case study #1: MONY used their anniversary to remind customers how surviving in the past helps them prosper in the future.

Mutual Of New York (MONY) used their 150th anniversary to celebrate their heritage with banners at their flagship building in midtown Manhattan and with sales collateral and a special stationery program that promoted their services as a trusted insurance provider. At 150 years, Mutual Of New York (MONY) was in crisis mode. The life insurance industry was under assault after the failure of Mutual Benefit Life, which had overloaded its investment portfolio with junk bonds. The names were just close enough that many people thought that Mutual Of New York was in trouble and sales were dropping. MONY used their anniversary to remind people of how they survived through wars and every type of financial mayhem for 150 years. “It worked and it positioned the company as a strong player, sales rose, and it did position us well for a sale as the insurance industry consolidated,” says Tom Healey who served as MONY’s Director of Communications.