style manual - Mutual of Omaha

a consistent styleAs a rule, everything written in Brand Managementfollows Associated Press style. Our only purposehere is to provide guidance and clarification on thosecompany-specific issues AP doesn’t cover (and a couple offrequently abused AP rules). The end goal, as with BrandManagement in general, is consistency in whatwe produce.These guidelines apply to everything created in BrandManagement (including Web pages, publications, salesand marketing brochures, incentive promotion materials,etc.), though we recommend them for the entirecompany. Following a common writing style reinforcesthat we’re speaking with one voice for one company.For all issues not covered here, please consult:• The Associated Press Stylebook• Random House Webster’s College Dictionary1234567

Address listsMutual of Omaha standards include abbreviations in theaddress and dashes in phone numbers. List landline first,do not call out cellphone numbers.Mutual of OmahaCharlotte Group Office6100 Fairview Rd., Ste. 525615-400-9591615-222-2345Mutual of Omaha Bank does not allow abbreviations inthe address and uses periods in phone numbers.Mutual of Omaha Bank555 West Chandler BoulevardSuite 100Chandler, Arizona 85225480.732.9100Advance ReleaseDo not use Advanced.Advanced MarketsNot advance. Always capitalize.advisorUse advisor rather than adviser when referencingfinancial advisors.aha momentItalicize and all lower case, except when beginning asentence. Complete reference is Mutual of Omaha is aproud sponsor of life’s aha moments. Aha moments aredefining moments where you gain clarity and wisdom.A.M. Best CompanyA.M. Best acceptable on second reference to thisrating agency.Where possible, include the statement that the ratingrefers only to the overall financial status of the companyand is not a recommendation of the specific policyprovisions, rates or practices of the insurance company.Associates Insurance Officeasterisks and footnotesUse an asterisk if only one qualification/footnote isneeded. Otherwise, number footnotes and superscript.Asterisks follow a punctuation mark with no interveningspace. The exception is when an asterisk precedes a dash.BrainsharkBREAKout! Swim Clinic,Mutual of Omaha BREAKout! Swim ClinicUse full title in first reference. BREAKout! Swim Clinicacceptable on subsequent references.bullet pointsCapitalize the first word of every bullet. Do not usepunctuation at the end of any bullet point copy, evenwhen a complete sentence is used.business and operational unitsSpell out and capitalize on first reference. GBS, HR andIFS are acceptable abbreviations on second reference tothose units. See also departments and divisions.business owner, small-business ownercellphoneDo not hyphenate. Preferred reference towireless/cellular phone.Chairman and CEOAcceptable on all references. Do not spell out chiefexecutive officer. See titles.Chairman’s CouncilChairman’s AwardWhen referring to Mutual of Omaha’s associaterecognition award, do not use the acronym CA.Companion Life Insurance Company,Companion LifeUse only when necessary in references to the companythat underwrites life insurance and annuities in NewYork. Use full company name when legally required.Companion Life permitted on first and subsequentreferences but only with audiences that know it refers toCompanion Life Insurance Company specifically. Do notuse Companion of Omaha.companyDo not capitalize as a substitute for Mutual of Omaha.Use companies only when legally required to do so. Thecompany will match associate donations. The Mutual ofOmaha family of companies.companywide1234567

Contact Maximizer (MAX)Spell out and capitalize on the first reference. MAXacceptable on second reference.contractionsUse whenever possible and appropriate to improvereadability and maintain conversational tone, especiallyin quotes.copay, copaymentsDo not hyphenate the term.corporate objectivesLowercase in all copy. Our accountableworkforce objective.departments and divisionsCapitalize in all uses to avoid confusion. CorporateCommunications, Brand Management.See also business and operational units.designationsShould be listed first following a last name and Jr., II, etc.,as applicable. Do not use commas when listing industrydesignations after a name. Tom#Jones CLU® ChFC®.Correct sequence: CLU® ChFC® CFP® RHU® LUTCF.Newer designations such as CLTC LTCP CSA, etc. followLUTCF in alphabetical order. Other designations includeCASL®, CLF®, REBC® and CAP®, FSS, MSM, MSFS. Listno more than five designations per person.Refer to the American College for use of theregistration mark.division office, DOCapitalize only when used as part of a formal office name.The Great Plains Division Office, but, the division officeachieved record results. DO is acceptable when used inphoto cutlines and attributions. John Smith works fromthe Great Plains DO.door openerTwo words in all uses. The agent used leads as a dooropener to relationships.Duel in the Pool, Mutual of Omaha Duel inthe PoolDuel in the Pool acceptable on second reference withinternal audiences.emailCapitalize only in headlines or when beginninga sentence.e-termsemail requires no hyphen. All others should behyphenated, as in e-business, e-commerce, e-app.Capitalize only in headlines, when beginning a sentenceor when used as a proper noun, as in e-App, e-Pay.E-commerce is their primary business. The iGO e-Appmakes submitting applications quick and simple.employer’s liability lawsApostrophe always appears before the s.Executive VP, executive vice presidentCapitalize title and abbreviate VP when title precedesname. Lowercase title and spell out vice president whentitle follows name. Always spell out executive. ExecutiveVP Jane Smith, but Jane Smith, executive vice president.Never EVP John Smith. See titles.ext.Use in all cases as an abbreviation for extension whenlisting home office phone numbers. Do not capitalize.factfinding, factfinder, factfindOne word, no hyphen in all uses. Factfinding with thecompany’s factfinder was important to the agent’s success.federal workers’ compensationApostrophe appears after the s.fieldDo not capitalize in copy.Fortune 500, Fortune magazineDon’t use the registration mark. If you refer to Mutualbeing a Fortune 500 organization with externalaudiences, identify the source as Fortune magazine,month and year.Before using the reference, email Public Affairs to ensureMutual is on the list.401(k) (no space)Unless referencing 401k Coach program, 401(k) shouldinclude parentheses and no space.golfersUpdated list of Mutual of Omaha sponsored golfersmaintained at www.mutualofomaha.com/golf.Group Benefit Services, GBSSpell out and capitalize on first reference. GBS acceptableon second reference. See business and operational units.1234567

Group Leader Seminar, GLSSpell out and capitalize on first reference. GLS acceptableon second reference.group officeCapitalize only when used as part of a formal office name.The Omaha Group Office, but the group office achievedrecord results.health careTwo words in all uses. Not healthcare.headlinesCapitalize all major words in headlines; lowercaseprepositions and the and a. Use the same rules insubheads, with the exception of blogs. Capitalize only thefirst word in blog subheads.home officeDo not capitalize in copy.honor clubAlways lowercase in copy.Human Resources, HRSpell out and capitalize on first reference. HR acceptableon second reference. See business and operational units.iGO e-AppReferences an electronic application or e-App.Always capitalize.Individual Financial Services, IFSSpell out and capitalize on first reference. IFS acceptableon second reference. See business and operational units.in force, in-forceTwo words as noun. More than $145 million of lifeinsurance in force. Hyphenated as an adjective. Thein-force block of business.Information Services, I/SCapitalize and spell out on first reference. I/S acceptableon second reference. See business and operational units.InternetAlways capitalize.intranetDo not capitalize. However, capitalize Associate Access.Do not abbreviate to AA.iPipelineAn electronic repository of forms and materials for useby sales distribution. Do not capitalize, even when atbeginning of sentence.locationsCapitalize when referring to specific home officelocations. Lowercase general locations. The reception willbe held under the Dome. Please meet in the lobby.login, log inOne word when used as a noun. Two words when used asa verb. Here’s your login ID, but I log in to my computer.long-term care, short-term careUse long-term care or short-term care when referringto care services. Always hyphenate. LTC and STC areacceptable on second reference with audiences who arefamiliar with the acronym.long-term care insurance, LTCiUse to refer to a long-term care insurance policy. LTCi isacceptable on second reference with audiences familiarwith the acronym, for example, associates andsales representatives.long-term disability, short-term disabilityLTD and STD is acceptable on second reference withaudiences familiar with the acronym. Use only long-termdisability and short-term disability with policyholders andthe general public. Always hyphenate. Mutual of Omahaprovides coverage for both long- and short-term disability.lump sum, lump-sumTwo words as a noun. The payout was a lump sum.Hyphenate when using as an adjective. The companymade a lump-sum contribution.Medicare supplement, Med suppMed supp is acceptable on second reference withaudiences familiar with the acronym, for example,associates and sales representatives. Use only Medicaresupplement with policyholders and the general public.Million Dollar Round TableMDRT acceptable on second reference.Moody’s Investors ServiceMoody’s acceptable on second reference to thisrating agency.1234567

Mutual of Omaha Investor Services, Inc.MOIS acceptable on second reference.Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company,Mutual of Omaha, MutualUse full company name only when legally required. UseMutual of Omaha on first reference in all copy. Use ofMutual permitted on second reference and only withaudiences that know it refers to Mutual of Omahaspecifically.MVPAcceptable in all references for Mutual of Omaha’s fieldassociate recognition program.namesAbbreviate Jr. and Sr. Notation of III or IV may be used aswell. Do not precede with a comma.Bold associate names only when used in Associate Access.Non-Mutual of Omaha names are never bold.NavigatorNavigator is needs analysis software.numbersSpell out numbers one through nine; use digits fornumbers 10 and above. See the AP Stylebook for specificreferences and situations. See percentages.OfficersHere are the correct spellings and titles for companyofficers:Daniel P. NearyChairman of the Board and CEORichard C. AnderlExecutive Vice President and General CounselJames T. BlackledgeExecutive Vice President, Information ServicesDavid A. DiamondExecutive Vice President, Chief Financial Officerand TreasurerDaniel P. MartinExecutive Vice President, Group Benefit ServicesMadeline R. RuckerExecutive Vice President, Customer ServiceJeffrey R. SchmidPresident and Chief Executive OfficerOmaha Financial Holdings, Inc.Stacy A. ScholtzExecutive Vice President, Corporate ServicesMichael C. WeeklyExecutive Vice President, Individual Financial ServicesPresident, United World Life Insurance CompanyRichard A. WittExecutive Vice President and Chief Investment OfficeronlineUse as one word in all cases.percentagesWrite out percent in all copy. Use % sign in charts andgraphs. In all cases, use numbers when referring topercentages. 5 percent, not five percent.periods (.)Use a single space after a period at the end of a sentence.policyholder, policyownerUse policyholder. Avoid policyowner.postcardUse as one word in all cases.PowerPoint ®productsCapitalize only formal names and proper nouns inproducts, not general product lines, even when referringto Mutual’s lines. Medicare supplement, life insurance, butGUL Plus. Mutual of Omaha’s critical illness insurance.Only capitalize products in headlines. MedicareSupplement Sales Set New RecordAvoid product acronyms such as CI and DI as much aspossible, especially with external audiences.See also long-term care, long-term disability, shorttermdisability and Medicare supplement.quotesIn most cases, name precedes said. “I’ll do it,” Smith said.If a title is part of the attribution, put said first only if youcan’t work the attribution into regular copy. “I’ll do it,”said Jane Smith, first vice president, Group Benefit Services.Do not use says when attributing quotes.Quote marks always follow punctuation. “We offergreat service.”1234567

ating agenciesUse entire name on first reference. Shortened versionacceptable on second reference. Standard & Poor’simproved Mutual of Omaha’s outlook. S&P attributed thisto the company’s financial strength.Registration, service mark andtrademark symbolsUse on first reference only, unless otherwise specified.(Vanguard® is one exception. Place the circle R noticesymbol after the first mention of Vanguard where Vanguardis used as an adjective. Include the symbol followingVanguard trademark credit line in as well: Vanguard is atrademark of The Vanguard Group, Inc.)resumeUnless context causes confusion, do not use accent marks.Retirement Plans DivisionSpell out and capitalize on first reference. RPD acceptableon second reference.rolloverUse as one word in all cases.Sales Leaders RoundtableSLR acceptable on second reference. No apostrophe.Sales Professional AccessAlways use Sales Professional Access for brokerageaudiences. SPA acceptable on second reference for agencybrokerage and home office audiences only.semiannualSenior VP, senior vice presidentCapitalize title and abbreviate VP when title precedesname. Lowercase title and spell out vice president whentitle follows name. Always spell out senior. Senior VPJohn Smith, but John Smith, senior vice president. NeverSVP John Smith. See titles.service markSee registration, service mark and trademark symbols.short-term careSee long-term care.short-term disabilitySee long-term disability, short-term disability.smartphoneDo not hyphenate.Social Security AdministrationAlways capitalize.Standard & Poor’sS&P acceptable on second reference to this rating agency.SwimmersUpdated list of Mutual of Omaha sponsored swimmersmaintained at www.mutualofomaha.com/usaswim.Talent Scout, Talent ScoutingCapitalize when referring to the Talent Scout program.Lowercase when referring to the activity.tax deferred, tax-deferredTwo words as a noun, The income is tax deferred.Hyphenate when using as an adjective. It’s atax-deferred investment.tax free, tax-freeTwo words as a noun. You can contribute tax free.Hyphenate when using as an adjective. It’s atax-free contribution.time frametitlesCapitalize titles before a name, lowercase titles that followa name. Chairman and CEO Dan Neary, but Dan Neary,chairman and CEO.For officers, spell out title in its entirety if title followsname, abbreviate vice president if title precedes the name.Senior VP Jane Smith, Jane Smith, senior vice president.tobacco, nontobaccoThe rules of prefixes apply; don’t use a hyphen with non.When expressing premiums, use tobacco-user rates andnontobacco-user rates or tobacco rates and nontobacco rates.toll free, toll-free numberUse two words as a noun and hyphenate the words whenused as an adjective. Call toll free but call thetoll-free number.trademarkSee registration, service mark and trademark symbols.1234567

United of Omaha Life Insurance Company,United of OmahaUse only when necessary in references to the companythat underwrites non-New York life insurance andannuities. Use full company name when legally required.United of Omaha permitted on first and subsequentreferences but only with audiences that know it refers toUnited of Omaha specifically. Do not use United.United World Life Insurance Company,United WorldUse only when necessary in references to products thisaffiliate company underwrites. Use full company namewhen legally required. United World permitted on firstand subsequent references but only with audiences thatknow it refers to United World Life Insurance Companyspecifically. Do not use United World of Omaha.Veterans AdministrationNo apostrophe. Always capitalize.VP, vice presidentCapitalize title and abbreviate VP when title precedesname. Lowercase title and spell out vice president whentitle follows name. VP John Smith, but John Smith, vicepresident. See titles.Web addressesDo not capitalize any words or include http:// or www.when referencing Web addresses in copy.mutualofomaha.com or ltcmadeez.com. Do not italicize.webmasterworkers’ compensationApostrophe always follows the s. Use this gender neutralterm when discussing benefits.Workmen’s Compensation ActAlways capitalize.ZIP codeAlways capitalize this acronym for ZoningImprovement Plan.1234567websiteUse as one word in all cases. Do not capitalize unless atbeginning of sentence.Web pageAlways capitalize Web when referencing Web page.Wild Kingdom,Mutual of Omaha’s Wild KingdomItalicize and use complete name on first reference tothe TV show. Italicized Wild Kingdom acceptable onsecond reference. If it’s unrelated to the show (i.e., WildKingdom Encounters), do not italicize.WinFlexMutual of Omaha Style Manual©2011 Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company9TH EDITION, 2011