Manulife expands Vitality program in unprecedented move to disrupt traditional insurance industry

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TORONTO , Sept. 27, 2022 /CNW/ - Today, Manulife demonstrates an industry first with the expansion of their Manulife Vitality program across its core product suite¹, introducing a new two-tiered membership program with enhanced rewards and benefits. With the introduction of a complimentary program for all new life insurance customers, Manulife displays its deep commitment to helping Canadians live longer, healthier, better lives. These enhancements will be available in Mid-November.

"The insurance industry is going through a transformational change and Manulife is at the forefront with our behavioural life insurance policies. The incredible results of our Manulife Vitality program have re-affirmed our belief this is the path forward in our industry," said Naveed Irshad, President & CEO, Manulife Canada. "We're living in an age of smart phones, smart cars, and smart watches, it only makes sense we have smart life insurance policies that reflect the changing needs and desires of customers. We're making Manulife Vitality available to all our new customers because we fundamentally believe life insurers should care about how long and well their customers live."

Since launching the Manulife Vitality program in 2016, Manulife has helped tens of thousands of Canadians improve their overall health and wellbeing through its industry leading wellness program – a science and technology-based program that supports and rewards customers for the everyday steps they take to lead longer, healthier, better lives. Built on the convergence of behavioural economics and consumer technology, Manulife Vitality rewards healthier choices linked to physical activity, nutrition, mindfulness and more.

Studies show that as a result of the pandemic, the physical and mental health of Canadians has suffered², however, with the help of Manulife Vitality, customers are seeing an overall improvement in their health and wellbeing³:

• Nearly one in three members with elevated blood pressure improved their readings to normal levels within one year.
• Amongst those surveyed, members indicated they have increased their physical activity at least twenty minutes per week.
• More than half of members with somewhat at-risk psychological distress significantly improved their mental state.

"With Manulife Vitality, customers experience and get value from their insurance every day," says Paul Savage, Head of Individual Insurance. "The program is founded on engagement and building deeper connections with customers. It makes it easier for advisors to have meaningful conversations with customers on an ongoing basis because they can check-in and see how they're getting on with the program, they can congratulate them on their progress, and they can talk about new interests, activities, hobbies, and goals."

For advisors that sell Manulife products, the Manulife Vitality program has a proven and significant value proposition⁴:

• Two out of three advisors find that Manulife Vitality helps them differentiate their practice from the competition.
• Three out of four agree Manulife Vitality provides them with new opportunities to interact with their customers.
• More than half (55%) believe Manulife Vitality is helping them improve their customer retention.

Manulife Life Insurance – Two options to help Canadians to live longer, healthier, better lives

• Vitality Go^TM: Available at no cost to eligible customers⁵ and provides healthy living tips, resources, and milestone rewards to motivate you along your journey. Everyday habits such as exercising, eating well, practicing mindfulness, and getting regular check-ups can earn you shopping discounts and gift cards at major brand outlets. This includes our newly added brands - Tim Hortons, Hudson's Bay, Walmart, Starbucks, and others.
  
  
• Vitality Plus^TM: An enhanced version of Manulife Vitality for a small monthly fee⁶. With Plus, customers have access to even more exclusive rewards including annual premium savings, participation in a program to earn an Apple Watch through completing workouts over time, a free Amazon Prime membership, Expedia® travel discounts, complimentary Garmin device, and much more.
  
  
• New partnerships for all members include:
• Up to 60% off Saucony running shoes and apparel, helping to eliminate the barrier to getting started on your fitness journey.
• Up to 40% off the Fitbit device of their choice, while also receiving the first year of the Fitbit Premium annual subscription for free ($106.99 value).

For more information on how you can benefit from the Manulife Vitality program, visit Manulife.ca/Vitality.

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider that helps people make their decisions easier and lives better. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we provide financial advice and insurance, operating as Manulife across Canada, Asia, and Europe, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. Through Manulife Investment Management, the global brand for our global wealth and asset management segment, we serve individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. At the end of 2021, we had more than 38,000 employees, over 119,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 33 million customers. Our principal operations are in Asia and Canada, and the United States, where we have served customers for more than 160 years. We trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges and under '945' in Hong Kong. In the previous 12 months we made CAD$32.7 billion in payments to our customers.

Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulife.com.

Guided by a core purpose of making people healthier, Vitality is the leader in improving health to unlock outcomes that matter. By blending industry-leading smart tech, data, incentives, and behavioral science, we inspire healthy changes in individuals and organizations. As one of the largest wellness companies in the world, Vitality brings a dynamic and diverse perspective through successful partnerships with the most forward-thinking insurers and employers. More than 27 million people in 40 markets engage in the Vitality program. For more information, visit vitalitygroup.com or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Insurance products are issued by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company. The Vitality Group Inc., in association with The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company, provides the Manulife Vitality program. The Manulife Vitality program is available with select policies. Please consult your financial representative to learn more and find out if you qualify for this product. Vitality is a trademark of Vitality Group International Inc., and is used by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company and its affiliates under license. Manulife & Stylized M Design, and Stylized M Design are trademarks of The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company and are used by it, and by its affiliates under license. Amazon.com is not a sponsor of this promotion. All Amazon ®, ™ & © are IP of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Expedia and the Airplane Logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Expedia, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.  © 2022 Expedia, Inc., an Expedia Group company. All rights reserved. Expedia and the Airplane Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Expedia, Inc. Garmin and Vivofit are registered trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries. Apple is not a participant in or sponsor of this promotion. Apple Watch is a registered trademark of Apple Inc. Saucony and the Saucony logo are trademarks of Wolverine World Wide, Inc. and are used under license. Fitbit and the Fitbit logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Fitbit in the U.S. and other countries.

SOURCE Manulife Financial Corporation