AXA Equitable Launches Pass It On!(SM)

NEW YORK, Sept. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company announced today the launch of Pass It On!(SM),  an online game of chance that distills the concept and value of life insurance into a series of choices. Pass It On! players create avatars and guide their virtual families to a better financial future by saving game currency, managing expenses, and making important decisions about life insurance. Players also have the chance to win $25,000 or $15,000 cash prizes as part of the Pass It On! Sweepstakes.

Participants can also help AXA Equitable help others by voting for one of three great charities – the American Red Cross, CARE, and Scholarship America – during game play.  Each organization will receive a grant from the AXA Foundation based on the number of votes received by Pass It On! players.

Why a Game?

"Life insurance is an important financial planning tool," says David O'Leary, executive vice president and head of Financial Protection at AXA Equitable. "It is, however, an inherently uncomfortable topic and many people find shopping for it easy to put off. According to LIMRA, life insurance sales are at a fifty year low. Some 11 million U.S. households with children younger than 18 have no life insurance. Many of these children would face immediate financial trouble if a parent died."

O'Leary continued, "With Pass It On!, AXA Equitable created a simple, casual and hopefully entertaining game to help bridge the education gap about life insurance and reverse these disturbing statistics."

At game start, Pass It On! players select beneficiaries. Gold is the game currency, which allows players to buy silver or gold shields, representing term or permanent life insurance. As the game of chance progresses, players face risks, vulnerabilities and critical choices that impact their families.

"Games aren't just child's play. They have the potential to be effective educational tools," says Connie O'Brien, senior vice president of Internet Strategy and Design for AXA Equitable. "According to techcrunch.com, 100 million people played casual social online games last year, 60% of whom were women, with an average age of 43. AXA Equitable invites these women and all gamers, many of whom are parents, to get serious about exploring real life financial security decisions and their consequences through the playful creation of their Pass It On! avatars."

Let the Games Begin
Pass It On! can be accessed at www.axa-equitablepassiton.com/
The game and sweepstakes run till December 31, 2011. A mobile version of the Pass It On! game will be released later this month.

Read the Pass It On! Sweepstakes rules at www.axa-equitablepassiton.com/pop_rules.htm
Pass It On!(SM) is a service mark of AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company (AXA Equitable), New York, NY.

This interactive game is not intended as a recommendation of any particular life insurance product or product type. You should discuss your individual circumstances with a licensed insurance professional to determine which life insurance policy may be suitable and appropriate for you.

About AXA Equitable
In business since 1859, AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company (NY, NY) is a leading financial protection company and one of the nation's premier providers of life insurance, annuity, and financial products and services. The company's products and services are distributed to individuals and business owners through its retail distribution channel, AXA Advisors, LLC (member FINRA, SIPC) and to the financial services market through its wholesale distribution channel, AXA Distributors, LLC. Find AXA Equitable on Facebook and Twitter or visit the company's multi-media newsroom The Source @ AXA Equitable.

AXA Equitable, a subsidiary of AXA Financial Inc., is part of the global AXA Group, a worldwide leader in financial protection strategies and wealth management. "AXA Group" refers to AXA, a French holding company for an international group of insurance and financial services companies together with its direct and indirect consolidated subsidiaries. For more information, visit www.axa-equitable.com.

SOURCE AXA Equitable