John Hancock Funds Wins Multiple Awards for Web Site and Marketing Communications

BOSTON, Jan. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- John Hancock Funds wrapped up 2009 by winning multiple awards for its web site, advisor communications, and customer service.

"A consistent theme throughout our recent string of awards has been the strength and quality of our web-based, interactive tools," said Keith F. Hartstein, President & CEO of John Hancock Funds.  "Financial advisors choose partners to help them meet client needs, and a tool like our Portfolio Insight, which creates custom reports and a transparent view of client holdings, does just that."

• John Hancock Funds placed second in kasina's annual rankings of top financial intermediary web sites for 2009. The asset management consulting firm cited John Hancock's focus on "taking the guesswork out of sales ideas," "ease of use," and "keen focus on brand." Carey Foran Hoch, Senior Vice President and head of marketing, said:  "Despite the challenges of 2009, we were able to deliver tools that helped advisors grow their businesses and also that differentiated our firm in the marketplace."

• Portfolio Insight won the highest award from the League of American Communications Professionals (LACP) in its 2009 "Spotlight" Awards. Commenting on the Platinum award, judges noted:  "Terrific production values – very well developed and informative. Reflects the John Hancock brand very positively;" and "We're impressed with the variety of materials and resources presented to visitors through this portal. Very well done!"

• Portfolio Insight won in the category of Rich Internet Application (RIA) at the prestigious Massachusetts Innovation & Technology (MITX) 14^th annual competition.  

• Financial Research Corporation (FRC) in its annual survey of advisors ranked John Hancock Funds fifth in the industry for the quality of marketing materials. John Hancock was cited in particular for adding to its advisor web sites to help with strategies in reaching specific markets, such as defined contribution plan sales. 

• In addition, Dalbar awarded John Hancock Funds its 2009 Mutual Fund Service Award for excellence in customer service, for the second consecutive year.

These awards followed the Mutual Funds Education Alliance (MFEA) recognition of John Hancock Funds at its awards ceremony in October of 2009.  MFEA honored John Hancock with nine awards in total, including "Best Overall Communications."  2009 marked the fourth year in a row that John Hancock won MFEA's top award, and the third consecutive year the company won more than eight awards.  

About John Hancock Funds

The Boston-based mutual fund business unit of John Hancock Financial, John Hancock Funds manages more than $50.5 billion in open-end funds, closed-end funds, private accounts, retirement plans and related party assets for individual and institutional investors at September 30, 2009.

About John Hancock Financial and Manulife Financial Corporation

John Hancock Financial is a unit of Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading Canadian-based financial services group serving millions of customers in 22 countries and territories worldwide. Operating as Manulife Financial in Canada and in most of Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, Manulife Financial Corporation offers clients a diverse range of financial protection products and wealth management services through its extensive network of employees, agents and distribution partners. Funds under management by Manulife Financial and its subsidiaries were Cdn$437 billion (US$407 billion) at September 30, 2009.

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 www.manulife.com.

The John Hancock unit, through its insurance companies, comprises one of the largest life insurers in the United States. John Hancock offers a broad range of financial products and services, including life insurance, fixed and variable annuities, fixed products, mutual funds, 401(k) plans, long-term care insurance, college savings, and other forms of business insurance. Additional information about John Hancock may be found at www.johnhancock.com.

SOURCE John Hancock Funds