Wachovia Corporation's retirement e-magazine wins Best of Show at the I.F.C.A. Awards in the banking category. The Insurance & Financial Communicators Association (I.F.C.A.) is an international organization dedicated to the ongoing professional development of its members in life insurance and related financial services communications.
"It's great to see another indicator of Wachovia's openness to innovation and realization that broadband is changing the way companies go to market," comments Tony Quin, CEO, IQ Interactive. "We are excited to work with a company that is continually being recognized by industry peers as being on the forefront of next generation broadband experiences. This approach, built on a thought leadership strategy, replaces traditional text-driven email experiences and combines a branding mission with the capabilities of the broadband Internet."
The e-magazine Wachovia Securities Retirement Strategies features a host who guides viewers through the interactive online experience that enables them to choose how they want to live in retirement and provides tips for getting there. Using the three building blocks of preparing for retirement, Design, Build and Live, viewers can watch several Web-video shows that provide helpful information about planning for retirement, accumulating assets for retirement, and financial planning when living in retirement. "The whole idea is to make the process of retirement planning more personal and intimate. It's an opportunity to take the conversation away from finances and money and turn it into a conversation about lifestyle - something that's more relevant and more compelling," adds Quin.
"We are delighted with the response to our retirement e-magazine," said Rob Elfner, Wachovia's director of retirement marketing. "Results yield a click-to open rate 4% higher than industry average and a time-spent average of more than 7 minutes which is double the industry average. The success of this e-magazine has led to a series of additional broadband initiatives with IQ Interactive."
Wachovia has also won high-honors in another awards program in 2007 including: Best in Show awards for interactive and a Gold award for consumer retail in the Financial Communications Society (FCS) Portfolio Awards. The campaign was also featured in the July issue of Journal for Financial Advertising and Marketing.
To view Wachovia Securities Retirement Strategies: http://wachoviaretirementguide.com
ABOUT I.F.C.A. AWARDS
The Insurance & Financial Communicators Association is an international organization dedicated to the ongoing professional development of its members in life insurance and related financial services communications. I.F.C.A.'s primary objective is to encourage and promote the exchange of experience and ideas among its members through an extensive program of formal schools, workshops, seminars, Newsletters, research studies, networking, international awards competition and I.F.C.A.'s showcase event: the three-day annual meeting.
Contact us for more information about I.F.C.A.
ABOUT IQ INTERACTIVE
IQ Interactive is an Atlanta-based, award-winning, full service interactive agency specializing in brand marketing experience for the broadband Internet. IQ works with leading brands such as InterContinental Hotels Group, UPS, Genworth Financial, Wachovia, Royal Caribbean International, and Universal Studios Orlando to create innovative and interactive experiences that drive measurable results. Building on its heritage as an award-winning television and technology agency, IQ has become one of the leading creative pioneers on the Web today recently featured for its outstanding work in the Atlanta Business Chronicle and the Journal for Financial Advertising and Marketing. The IQ portfolio is available at www.iqinteractive.com.
ABOUT WACHOVIA
Wachovia Corporation (NYSE:WB) is one of the nation's largest diversified financial services companies, with assets of $719.9 billion and market capitalization of $97.5 billion at June 30, 2007. Wachovia provides a broad range of retail banking and brokerage, asset and wealth management, and corporate and investment banking products and services to 13 million household and business customers. Wachovia has 3,400 retail financial centers in 21 states from Connecticut to Florida and west to Texas and California, and nationwide retail brokerage, mortgage lending and auto finance businesses. Globally, clients are served in selected corporate and institutional sectors and through more than 40 international offices. Our retail brokerage operations under the Wachovia Securities brand name manage more than $795 billion in client assets through approximately 10,800 registered representatives in 774 offices in 48 states and through service affiliate offices in Latin America. Online banking is available at wachovia.com; online brokerage products and services at wachoviasec.com; and investment products and services at evergreeninvestments.com.
In May 2007, Wachovia announced an agreement to acquire A.G. Edwards, Inc., a financial services holding company whose primary subsidiary is the national investment firm of A.G. Edward & Sons, Inc. A.G. Edwards and its affiliates employ 6,623 financial consultants in 741 offices nationwide and two European locations in London and Geneva. This proposed acquisition is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2007, pending the approval of A.G. Edwards shareholders and applicable regulatory approvals.
