It seems like Betty White has been everywhere in 2010, so maybe you shouldn't be surprised she appears on the cover of Life Insurance Selling to close out the year.
I know it caught my attention when I first found out a few years back that she was the spokesperson for The Lifeline Program, a life settlements provider now based out of Atlanta. Sure, the 88-year-old actress was a big star when she first signed on with them five years ago, but the folks at The Lifeline Program could not have dreamed that White would enjoy the veritable tidal wave of favorable publicity during this calendar year that has bumped her up several notches toward the top of the pop culture "coolness" meter. And to think - none of those image problems associated with many other well-known celebrities who moonlight as pitchmen for products. (I'm looking in your direction, Tiger Woods and Brett Favre).
Still, I realize you may be wondering what Ms. White's face is doing on the cover of LIS. We're not People. We're not US Weekly, Parade or even AARP Magazine. It's a fair question. Are we trying to capitalize a little bit on her popularity? Sure. Anyone familiar with magazines knows "hot" celebrities sell and create interest. But the real reason we wanted Ms. White on our cover was to promote the viewpoint her endorsement of The Lifeline Program actually ends up lending great credibility in the minds of boomers and seniors to the life settlements market in general - and that's a message worth promoting.
While life settlements are a small niche of the life insurance industry, getting any positive message having to do with life insurance in front of consumers from a well-known source who has pull with Americans is an avenue I wish more companies in the industry would strive for in their marketing efforts.
Remember Wilford Brimley's ads for Liberty Medical? If I had diabetes, I'd have been using its testing supplies. Or think of John Houseman's ads for Smith Barney -- "We make money the old-fashioned way. We earn it." Those guys built some major-league credibility in the minds of consumers for those companies.
I'm pretty sure Betty White has never made a life settlement transaction and will never need to, yet this high-profile celebrity who could probably endorse any product she chooses actually chose to renew her spokesperson agreement with The Lifeline Program earlier this year because she believes in the product. She knows her endorsement of it can build trust in the value and sensibility of life settlements among good candidates who might otherwise be too wary to explore what may well be their best option.
So please take a few moments to check out our exclusive Q&A with Ms. White starting on page 40, which makes a nice lead-in to a couple of detailed articles about the reasons behind a recent resurgence in a previously stagnant life settlements market.
