Innis Maggiore Positioning Strategy Based on Client's Expertise in Healthcare Coverage

CANTON, Ohio (Sept. 21, 2010) - With questions about healthcare reform's ramifications outnumbering answers, Innis Maggiore is executing a positioning strategy that confirms GuideStone Financial Resources as the authoritative information resource for churches and their employees.

Innis Maggiore, the nation's leading agency in the practice of positioning, is executing a positioning strategy that underscores how GuideStone fulfills its mission to help churches understand changes that affect their ability to provide staff with healthcare benefits. GuideStone is the Southern Baptist Convention's financial services entity that provides retirement, insurance, and investment products ideal for ministry staff and retirees.

The SBC encompasses 42,000 churches and tens of thousands of employees who participate in GuideStone plans.

"Such a large and diverse audience has many questions, and GuideStone's experts are their go-to answer resource," said Mark Vandegrift, Innis Maggiore principal, web and digital services. "Our positioning strategy acknowledges GuideStone's in-house expertise, and communicates this expertise to solidify GuideStone as the most authoritative information resource to benefit its churches and participants."

GuideStone will offer webinars, articles and columns for publication in SBC newspapers and newsletters, an interactive healthcare reform timeline on GuideStone's website, answers to FAQs, email flash news updates, and a call center trained to answer churches' and participants' questions.

"In many ways, GuideStone is ahead of the nation in addressing the challenges associated with healthcare reform. GuideStone has been proactive not only in guiding churches in how to take advantage of provisions in healthcare reform, but also with a platform of products that fit with new and pending provisions. For example, GuideStone already offers healthcare coverage for church employees' dependent children up to age 26, far in advance of the 2011 deadline to do so."

Innis Maggiore is the nation's leading agency in the practice of positioning, building strong brand positions for companies in competitive markets. The advertising and public relations agency had 2009 capitalized billings of more than $21 million. Key clients include Alside, Aultman Health Foundation, Bank of America, Gerber Poultry, Goodyear, GuideStone Financial Resources, Nickles Bakery, Parker Hannifin, Progressive Foam Technologies, RTI International Metals, Republic Engineered Products, and Shearer's Foods Inc. Innis Maggiore is a member of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, the National Investor Relations Institute and the Public Relations Society of America.