Manulife Mutual Funds Honoured at 2011 Morningstar® Canadian Investment Awards™

TORONTO, Dec. 2, 2011  /PRNewswire/ -- Manulife Mutual Funds took home several prestigious awards at the 17th annual Morningstar® Canadian Investment Awards™ gala event, held on November 30th at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. 

Manulife Mutual Funds' 2011 brand advertising, with the theme -- "Investments Shouldn't Always Be On Your Mind" -- won top honours as Best Marketing Campaign. Launched in March, the campaign featured ads designed to reassure investors that it is possible to reach their financial goals without constantly being overwhelmed by or preoccupied with their investment portfolios. The campaign encompassed a multi-media approach utilizing a mix of newspaper, magazine, airport advertising, web banner ads and radio tags, and ran through the end of June. The ads were designed to support the strong sales momentum of Manulife Mutual Funds, which in the first nine months of 2011 was the second-fastest growing firm based on funds under management of the top ten firms reporting to IFIC.

"Our successful advertising campaign has helped to build our brand and position us as a leading provider of mutual fund solutions for advisors and their clients," said Paul Lorentz, President of Manulife Investments.  "People have busy lives to lead, and they want to have their investments grow and work for them, and not be a constant source of concern. At Manulife, we have more than 120 years of expertise in managing and protecting wealth. With our diverse and high-quality mutual funds product line, we are well-positioned to help investors prepare for the expected and unexpected, and to help secure their financial futures."

Manulife Investments won a Silver award from IFIC for Investor Education for the unique Solut!ons program. Manulife's Solut!ons program educates investors about various financial planning concepts and ideas. Advisors can choose from more than 200 articles and videos in the Solut!ons library or they can send clients the Solut!ons magazine which is published three times a year.

The Manulife Strategic Income Fund was honoured with a Bronze award -- Best High Yield Fixed Income Fund. Managed by Daniel S. Janis III and Thomas Goggins of Manulife Asset Management, the Manulife Strategic Income Fund won Bronze in the Global Fixed Income Fund category at the 2010 Canadian Investment Awards. The Fund was launched in November of 2005. Manulife Asset Management is the asset management arm of Manulife Financial Corporation.

The Manulife Canadian Bond Plus Fund also won Bronze -- Best Global Fixed Income Fund -- at this year's award ceremony. Launched in April of 2007, the Manulife Canadian Bond Plus Fund is sub-advised by AllianceBernstein Investment Management.

The Morningstar® Canadian Investment Awards™ recognize leadership in the investment industry and represent Canada's wide range of investment products, including mutual funds, pooled funds and hedge funds. Additional awards recognize outstanding individual managers, career achievement, education, technology, innovation, marketing, socially responsible investing and community service. Awards are determined by panels of industry experts.

About Morningstar, Inc.
Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company offers an extensive line of products and services for individuals, financial advisors, and institutions. Morningstar provides data on approximately 330,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on more than 5 million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals, in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its registered investment advisor subsidiaries and has more than $167 billion in assets under advisement and management as of Sept. 30, 2011. The company has operations in 26 countries.

About Manulife Mutual Funds
Manulife Mutual Funds, a division of Manulife Asset Management Limited, builds on more than 120 years of Manulife Financial's wealth and investment management expertise in managing approximately $16.7 billion as at September 30, 2011 for Canadian investors, through a diverse portfolio of forward-thinking mutual fund products.  Our experienced Portfolio Managers offer access to markets in Canada, the United States and around the world, in a range of investment styles to help meet individual needs.  Manulife Mutual Funds is part of Manulife Investments, which offers personal wealth management products and services, such as mutual funds, segregated funds, annuities and guaranteed investment contracts.  For more information, please visit manulifemutualfunds.ca.

About Manulife Financial
Manulife Financial is a leading Canada-based financial services group operating in 21 countries and territories worldwide. For more than 120 years, clients have looked to Manulife for strong, reliable, trustworthy and forward-thinking solutions for their most significant financial decisions. Our international network of employees, agents and distribution partners offers financial protection and wealth management products and services to millions of clients. We provide asset management services to institutional customers worldwide as well as reinsurance solutions, specializing in property and casualty retrocession. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were C$492 billion (US$473 billion) as at September 30, 2011. The Company operates as Manulife Financial in Canada and Asia and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at manulife.com.

SOURCE Manulife Mutual Funds