Barbara Lippert's Critique: For John Hancock, Less Is Much More

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John Hancock has been advertising its own version of “reality” since 1985 (take that, Survivor!), and through all its incarnations, the work has been consistently strong and industry leading. Gritty, filled with layered stories and dialogue, the campaign has touched unflinchingly on major life moments for the over-35 set. Some of the milestones were previously verboten topics—one spot showed a gay couple adopting a Chinese baby. Others sensitively covered subjects that were standard but not so joyous, like divorce, elder care and job loss.

By comparison, this latest iteration is shocking in its simplicity.

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