From a pile of requests for proposal submissions have emerged a half-dozen agencies in New York Life's creative review.
New York Life executives are visiting the shops and, based on those visits, will narrow their focus to a handful of finalists. The company hopes to complete the process by the end of next month.
Media spending on the brand totaled $35 million last year, down from $43 million in 2009, according to Nielsen. Those figures don't include online spending.
The full list of semifinalists could not immediately be identified. Roth Associates in New York is managing the search. The winner will replace incumbent agency Taxi, which is not defending. Not in play are digital marketing and media planning and buying, which remain at SapientNitro and TargetCast, respectively.
Beyond life insurance, New York Life offers annuities, mutual funds, investment planning, and long-term care insurance. The 166-year-old company is based in New York.
