John Hancock's Boston Marathon #RunBold Social Media Campaign Gives Public Opportunity to Appear on Banners Leading to Finish Line

BOSTON, March 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- To generate excitement heading into the 120^th Boston Marathon, principal race sponsor John Hancock has developed a social media campaign that offers members of the public the opportunity to appear on one of 26 banners that will be hung on Boylston Street, leading to the finish line. John Hancock hangs hundreds of street banners for the marathon annually, but has never before invited the public to become involved in this way.

Beginning today, individuals can visit JHExtramile.com/runbold and create a personalized image of themselves on a digital banner featuring one of the following words: gratitude, passion, pride, dedication, inspired, drive, psyched, believe, heart, strength, glory and spirit. From there, they can save the banner image for themselves or, if they would like it to be considered for possible selection, they can post it on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook using the hashtag #RunBold by March 21.

While 26 of the submissions are intended to be made into the special street banners, all will be featured in a collage on JHExtramile.com.

"The Boston Marathon is an iconic race that means so much to so many people in so many different ways," said Rob Friedman, head of John Hancock Sponsorship and Event Marketing. "We think this effort will generate many creative entries, and also provide several lucky members of the marathon community with an opportunity of a lifetime."

About JHextramile.com
JHextramile.com is a blog site established by John Hancock in 2013 to provide inspiration for going the extra mile in order to reach goals relating to personal health, fitness training, fundraising, or making a difference in the lives of family members, friends, or the community.  Occasional posts are made by experts and ordinary individuals with stories to share.

About John Hancock and Manulife
John Hancock Financial is a division of Manulife, a leading Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. Operating as Manulife in Canada and Asia, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, our group of companies offers clients a diverse range of financial protection products and wealth management services through its extensive network of employees, agents and distribution partners. Assets under management and administration by Manulife and its subsidiaries were C$935 billion (US$676 billion) as at December 31, 2015. Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife can be found on the Internet at manulife.com.

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

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160229/338676

SOURCE John Hancock Financial