The Prudential Insurance Company of America: Be Your Own Rock campaign

William Baue

This paper describes how Prudential Insurance in the U.S. embarked on a brave and dynamic advertising campaign in an attempt to update their image, following industry transgressions, without losing valuable heritage.

The Prudential Insurance Company of America: Be Your Own Rock campaign

William Baue

OVERVIEW

When Elizabeth Krupnick arrived at Prudential Insurance Company of America in June 1994 to take over as chief communications officer, she inherited advertising that she called "mediocre at best." She also inherited one of the most identifiable icons in advertising: the rock. Her mission, as she conceived it, was to modernize Prudential's advertising without abandoning the equity it had invested in the rock. "Only an idiot would give up one of the world's most powerful icons," she said. She intended to distinguish Prudential from typical insurance...

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