There's No More Reassuring Voice In Retirement Planning Than Dennis Hopper

(Photo: My financial advisor.)

From The Onion for your morning laugh, courtesy of Becca.

And here's the news release from Ameriprise Financial.

Press Release

New Evolution of Ameriprise Financial Advertising Emphasizes that "Dreams Don't Retire"

Broadcast ads feature actor Dennis Hopper and a 1960s-style red chair

MINNEAPOLIS — September 7, 2006 — Dreams don't retire. That's what Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (NYSE: AMP) is telling over 78 million baby boomers in a new advertising campaign that launches this Sunday, Sept. 10, during the first regular season broadcast of NBC Sunday Night Football at 8 p.m. eastern. The broadcast ads will feature a celebrity familiar to the boomer generation, actor Dennis Hopper.

Developed in conjunction with Saatchi & Saatchi the broadcast ads will feature people pursuing their retirement dreams from building a boat to designing an eco-friendly house. Ads will appear on network and cable in popular programs such as "LOST," "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," "Desperate Housewives," "CSI: Miami" and "Without a Trace." The integrated campaign will also feature print, radio and online ads.

"Last year's groundbreaking campaign launched the Ameriprise Financial brand and focused on what we do to help boomers achieve their retirement dreams," says Jim Cracchiolo, chairman and chief executive officer of Ameriprise Financial. "Now we're telling boomers how we're redefining financial planning. It all begins with understanding our clients' dreams."

The ads are set in a variety of locations including a beach, salt flats and field of wildflowers that convey the serenity many boomers hope to achieve in retirement. Sitting within these tranquil settings on a 1960s-style red chair is Hopper.

"Our new campaign is a radical departure from standard financial services advertising," says Kim Sharan, EVP and chief marketing and communications officer of Ameriprise Financial. "We are firmly focused on the positive aspects of retirement and our understanding that boomers aren't going to spend this phase of life playing shuffleboard. There is no better figure to personify our message than legendary actor Dennis Hopper who embodies the spirit of the generation. With his help we are speaking with boomers not at them."

In the broadcast ads, Hopper adopts a conversational style. In one version he asks: "You still have things to do, right? You have dreams. And there is no age limit on dreams." In another version he reminds boomers that "the thing about dreams is – they don't retire."

(You can read the rest of the release here, if you're so inclined.)