Manulife Introduces "Life Insurance for the Living": Vitality comes to Canada

Life insurance provides #healthyrewards: discounted GoodLife membership, free Garmin and more

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TORONTO, Sept. 27, 2016 /CNW/ - Manulife today announced that Canadians can now purchase "life insurance for the living" with the launch of Manulife Vitality: a program that rewards life insurance customers for living a healthy life.  Manulife Vitality awards customers Vitality Points when they complete health-related activities such as exercising, getting an annual health screening or even a flu shot.  Customers get a discount on GoodLife Fitness/Énergie Cardio memberships and can use their points to lower their life insurance premiums, and more.

"Manulife is changing the whole notion of life insurance.  Until today, Canadians purchasing life insurance filled out an application, paid their premium and eventually their family makes a claim," said Marianne Harrison, President and CEO of Manulife Canada.  "Manulife is now actively partnering with customers who want to achieve physical and financial health and overall wellbeing."

People are living longer, but not necessarily healthier.  There is strong evidence that participation in a program like Manulife Vitality — one that recognizes and incentivizes people for positive healthy behaviours — not only correlates to positive behaviour changes, but also to more active and engaged policyholders.  For those Canadians who are already active or are considering taking a more active role in their health: why not be rewarded for it?

"John Hancock Vitality has very quickly become a material piece of our new business in the United States," added Ms. Harrison.  "It is being selected on all of our different insurance products and it is appealing across all customer segments – from young families to retirees."

Achieve a Vitality Status
A member's Vitality Status is based on the number of Vitality Points they earn each year.  Vitality Status is used to determine a member's eligibility for rewards and their annual cost of insurance.

Technology Powers the Program
Manulife Vitality members receive a voucher for a free bilingual Garmin vivofit3 wearable to help track their progress towards a healthier lifestyle.  Other wearable technology that a member may already own can also be integrated to earn Vitality Points and be used to track program participation.  Members who prefer not to leverage wearable technology can track their health-related activities separately.  Members will receive personalized health goals and can easily log their activities using online and automated tools.  Even those who have an existing medical condition can be rewarded under the program. Members of the program also have the ability to use the Manulife Vitality mobile app to engage in the program in an easy and convenient personalized way.

Manulife Vitality Rewards Healthy Living
Manulife Vitality customers can purchase a subsidized gym membership at GoodLife Fitness/Énergie Cardio.  The rewards program will continue to engage new providers in order to offer a wider array of healthy rewards for healthy living.

Manulife Family Term with Vitality
Manulife Family Term with Vitality has coverage for 20 years, renewable until age 80 or coverage until the member reaches age 65.  Manulife is currently investigating opportunities to expand the program to include a variety of other insurance solutions.

Knock-out Event with Pinball Clemons in Yonge-Dundas Square
Today Manulife is celebrating the launch of Vitality with a public event in Toronto's Yonge-Dundas Square. Celebrity Coach Michael "Pinball" Clemons and Marianne Harrison will urge Canadians to make healthy choices in order to get #healthyrewards and to answer the question: "What do you live for?" using a Manulife Vitality Workout Computer.  The event runs from 7 a.m. through 2 p.m. and all are welcome to try their hand at the unique computer.

National Marketing Campaign focuses on people making healthy choices
Pinball Clemons and Olympic women's hockey coach Danièle Sauvageau are the spokespersons to be featured in a new marketing and advertising campaign that focuses on rewarding everyday healthy choices.  The print and television advertisements show Canadians how simple it is to make healthy choices and how they can be rewarded for them.

Today's announcement builds on Manulife's global health and wealth strategy to reward customers for living a healthier life.  Manulife's strategy is offered as Vitality in the United States under the John Hancock brand. Manulife also offers ManulifeMOVE across Asia.

For further information, please go to: Manulife.ca/Vitality

About Manulife
Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services group providing forward-thinking solutions to help people with their big financial decisions.  We operate as John Hancock in the United States, and Manulife elsewhere.  We provide financial advice, insurance and wealth and asset management solutions for individuals, groups and institutions.  At the end of 2015, we had approximately 34,000 employees, 63,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving 20 million customers.  At the end of June 2016, we had $934 billion (US$718 billion) in assets under management and administration, and in the previous 12 months we made more than $25.4 billion in benefits, interest and other payments to our customers.  Our principal operations are in Asia, Canada and the United States where we have served customers for more than 100 years.  With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges and under '945' in Hong Kong.  Follow Manulife on Twitter @ManulifeNews or visit www.manulife.com or www.johnhancock.com.

SOURCE Manulife Financial Corporation

Image with caption: "Manulife Canada President and CEO Marianne Harrison punches a message at the Manulife Vitality Workout Computer with Coach Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons in Toronto to launch Manulife Vitality, a new kind of life insurance that rewards healthy living. (CNW Group/Manulife Financial Corporation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160927_C6295_PHOTO_EN_782505.jpg

Media requiring further information or wishing to book an interview with Michael "Pinball" Clemons or Marianne Harrison, please contact: Bev MacLean, Manulife, [email protected], 416-852-8501; Jennifer Wasley, Weber Shandwick for Manulife, [email protected], 416-642-7903 or 416-804-3014