BOSTON, Sept. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- John Hancock Retirement Plan Services (JH RPS) has launched a new trade advertising campaign that focuses on the concept of fairness, which is delivered through a number of humorous vignettes that point to the question of how retirement plan costs are allocated among participants. Included are three print ads with online variations, each with a link to a brief Fairness video reinforcing this concept.

In one print spot, the headline reads, "You wouldn't pay for your co-worker's parking every day, why would you pay for their 401(k) recordkeeping costs?" Other spots refer to paying for co-worker's lunch or coffee daily, and each suggests that how retirement plan providers allocate plan costs matters - to plan sponsors and participants.

"We are seeing increasing industry attention focused on the allocation of plan expenses among participants and we're pleased to have developed what we feel is an industry-leading solution to help plan sponsors address the issue of fairness, regardless of their investment choices, and we want to spread the word," said Andrew Ross, senior vice president, Marketing and Product Development, JH RPS. "We hope the creative approach catches people's attention and makes them think about the issue and what is fair for 401(k) participants."

This six-figure ad campaign, which recently started, will run through the fall and appear in the print and online versions of such industry trades as Plansponsor, Planadviser and NAPA Net.

About John Hancock Financial and Manulife Financial
John Hancock Financial is a division of Manulife Financial, a leading Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. Clients look to Manulife for strong, reliable, trustworthy and forward-thinking solutions for their most significant financial decisions. Our international network of employees, agents and distribution partners offers financial protection and wealth management products and services to millions of clients. We also provide asset management services to institutional customers. Funds under management by Manulife and its subsidiaries were approximately C$637 billion (US$597 billion) as at June 30, 2014. We operate as John Hancock in the U.S. and as Manulife in other parts of the world. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife can be found on the Internet at manulife.com.

The John Hancock unit, through its insurance companies, comprises one of the largest life insurers in the United States. John Hancock offers and administers a broad range of financial products, including life insurance, annuities, investments, 401(k) plans, long-term care insurance, college savings, and other forms of business insurance. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at johnhancock.com.

John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.) and John Hancock Life Insurance Company of New York are collectively referred to as "John Hancock".

To obtain group annuity investment option Fund sheets and prospectuses for each sub-account's underlying investment vehicle call 1-877-346-8378. These documents contain complete details on investment objectives, risks, fees, charges and expenses as well as other information about the underlying investment vehicle, which should be carefully considered. Please read these documents carefully prior to investing.

Both John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.) and John Hancock Life Insurance Company of New York do business under certain instances using the John Hancock Retirement Plan Services name. Group annuity contracts and recordkeeping agreements are issued by: John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.), Boston, MA 02210 (not licensed in New York) and John Hancock Life Insurance Company of New York, Valhalla, NY 10595. Product features and availability may differ by state. The Investment Management Services Division of John Hancock provides investment information relating to the group annuity contract. Plan administrative services may be provided by John Hancock Retirement Plan Services LLC or a plan consultant selected by the Plan.

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SOURCE John Hancock Retirement Plan Services