MassMutual Prepares Families for Awkward Holiday Dinner Conversations

Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) has launched a new holiday spot from their creative agency of record, Grey New York. The spot is called ‘Awkward Silence Night’, and aims to inspire financial conversations during the holiday season through straightforward humour.

The holiday season tends to be the time for those awkward dinner conversations that no one wants to be a part of, especially when they involve finances. ‘Awkward Silence Night’ shows a family sitting around the dinner table with concerned looks on their faces as the family member at the head of the table is talking. A humorous spin on the classic holiday song, ‘Silent Night’, is playing in the background as the family is becoming more and more upset by what’s being said. The commonality of these holiday conversations are brought to light as the second verse of the song sings, “talk of money started a fight.”

“The nervousness around financial conversations during the holiday season is likely rooted in the discomfort and worry about spending during this time,” said Joe Mongognia, executive creative director at Grey New York. “We wanted to continue to break convention by using this holiday season to provoke our viewers to start thinking about their financial future. Our hope with this spot is to take away the uncomfortability from these conversations and instead encourage families to start having financial conversations - even around the holidays.”

“We know that this year more than ever finances will be very top of mind at the holidays,” said Jennifer Halloran, head of brand and advertising at MassMutual. “But planning for the New Year and getting back on track is possible and MassMutual can help.”

‘Awkward Silence Night’ is a part of a larger MassMutual campaign called ‘Uncomfortable Truths’. The spot continues to highlight the brand’s values and amplify awareness as the overarching campaign reflects the widespread desire to help the world face the taboo, scary or awkward realities of life around personal finances. The new campaign will run across broadcast TV, Digital, Social channels, Audio, Digital OOH and Cinema. The song ‘Awkward Silence Night’ will also be available on Apple Music, Spotify and other music platforms.