The People Have Tweeted - Mutual of Omaha Announces Finalists for National Ads

OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mutual of Omaha, proud sponsor of life?s aha moments^SM, has announced the top finalists in its Web campaign to determine the stars of the insurance company?s new commercials. The online voting campaign is the first time a company has relied largely on social media to select who will appear in its ads.

?When we launched our campaign earlier this year, we quickly discovered how personally and emotionally people responded to these inspirational stories,? said John Hildenbiddle, senior vice president of brand management and public relations at Mutual of Omaha. ?The logical next step was to ask the public to decide whose stories would appear next. The response we?ve received has shown it was the right decision.?

More than 25,000 votes were cast in the first round of voting, which was held October 1-15 and narrowed 75 distinctive aha moments to 25. From those, the final 10 will be selected via online voting at http://www.ahamoment.com/vote. These 10 spots will be included in Mutual of Omaha?s broadcast advertising campaign next year. Voting ends at midnight PDT on October 31.

Many of the individuals featured in the aha moment spots strategically used social networking sites, especially Facebook and Twitter, to encourage others to vote for them. Those appeals were then forwarded and shared with fans, friends and followers.

The road to commercial stardom started in Oklahoma City, Okla. in April, when the company launched its 25-city aha moment tour. At every stop, people lined up to share their personal aha moments in an Airstream trailer that served as a mobile television studio. More than 1,000 aha moments were recorded on the tour. All of them can be viewed on the aha moment Web site.

The 25 aha moment finalists, one from each of the cities the tour visited, are as follows:

Oklahoma City, Okla. ? Toni and Caroline

Toni and her mother, Caroline, opened Sara Sara Cupcakes.

Omaha, Neb. ? Kathy
Kathy adopted a child from China.

Springfield, Mo. ? Michelle
Michelle walks to raise money for breast cancer in memory of her mother.

Little Rock, Ark. ? Bob
Bob, a doctor, realized that medicine is about people, not money.

Jackson, Miss. ? Eddie
Eddie?s company donated the money for a single-parent family to get a home of their own.

Birmingham, Ala. ? Chris
Chris lost his leg in a motorcycle accident and overcame his disability.

Chattanooga, Tenn. ? George and Angela
George and Angela opened a barbecue restaurant.

Savannah, Ga. ? Joseph
Joseph helps kids in needy communities discover their true musical potential.

Columbia, S.C. ? Carol and Eleanor
Carol and her mom, Eleanor, opened a tea room.

Roanoke, Va. ? Leah
Leah ended up marrying her seventh-grade boyfriend.

Harrisburg, Pa. ? Leigh
Leigh started a successful non-profit foundation that raises breast cancer awareness.

Syracuse, N.Y. ? Stan
Stan creates works of art out of toothpicks.

Louisville, Ky. ? Laura
Laura publishes her own women?s magazine.

Evansville, Ind. ? Saundra
Saundra is a wedding planner.

Grand Rapids, Mich. ? Lesley
Lesley helps other mothers battle postpartum depression.

Champaign, Ill. ? Terry
Terry realized what a parent?s job is.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa ? Patti
Patti started a camp that teaches kids to give back to their communities.

La Crosse, Wis. ? Anne
Anne opened a children?s museum.

Rochester, Minn. ? Eve
Eve raises money for blood cancer prevention.

Sioux Falls, S.D. ? Hugh
Hugh launched an online community that helps new dads prepare for fatherhood.

Colorado Springs, Colo. ? Pamela
Pamela lost over 200 pounds to compete in adventure races.

Cheyenne, Wyo. ? Jeremy
Jeremy pursued his dream of becoming a professional bullfighter.

Billings, Mont. ? Jessica
Jess was amazed watching an athlete at the Special Olympics.

Idaho Falls, Idaho ? Ann
Ann started a camp for kids with cancer.

Reno, Nev. ? Vivienne
Vivienne volunteers at a food bank.

Mutual of Omaha launched its sponsorship of the aha moment in February 2009. For more information about the aha moment concept, visit http://www.ahamoment.com.

About Mutual of Omaha

Mutual of Omaha is a full-service, multi-line organization providing insurance and financial products for individuals, businesses and groups throughout the United States. For more information about Mutual of Omaha, visit http://www.mutualofomaha.com.