How do you know when a startup has “made it”? Is it when The Wall Street Journal profiles you? Is it when you’re able to work with your customers to provide access to a service that helps them live a more protected life? Or maybe it’s simply when your parents can turn on the TV to watch one of their “programs” and see your commercial.
On Jan. 28, our parents collectively rejoiced when we debuted before a national TV audience “What is Haven Life?”, our new 30- and 15-second commercial.
Here’s a look at how the project came together and how we’re introducing more people than ever to life insurance that’s actually simple.
One of the goals of this commercial is to take the viewer inside the Haven Life experience and demonstrate that this is a process to not be intimidated or afraid of. We thought that the best way to do that was by bringing our homepage collages to life in a slightly surreal and very inviting way. Also, we cast a bunch of really adorable kids.
Word of advice: If you ever film a commercial with child actors, don’t feed them cake before 9 a.m.
Working with child actors was a pleasure. They brought excitement, imagination, and spontaneity to the commercial. In between takes, they even struck up a friendship with one another and passed the time playing games, singing songs and asking questions about advancements in modern algorithmic underwriting to help speed up the issuance of term life insurance policies. (Just kidding.)
We had over 70 children — ranging from as young as 3 to as old as 11, show up to audition for the commercial. All of them were incredible, but there were a few who made an immediate impact and showed us they would be up to the task of acting in front of a green screen and making life insurance feel like something you could smile at.
The commercial was created with Ataboy Studios and is filled with personal and poignant connections to the Haven Life team. The music: Composed by our CEO’s brother-in-law. The blue rhino plush: A stuffed animal one of our employee’s sons sleeps with every night. The guy sitting in front of the laptop whose forearm is featured at the start and end of the commercial and who if you’re squinting really, really, really hard kind of looks like Bradley Cooper: That’s me.
To date, the new spot has aired on over 30 networks. And next, you’ll see Haven Life’s commercial running during a certain college basketball tournament that traditionally takes place during the month of March. Yes, the one that has been known to occasionally generate a bit of chaos, pandemonium and mayhem.
