MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 7, 2006--

Dreams don't retire. That's what Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (NYSE:AMP) is telling over 78 million baby boomers in a new advertising campaign that launches this Sunday, Sept. 10, during the first regular season broadcast of NBC Sunday Night Football at 8 p.m. eastern. The broadcast ads will feature a celebrity familiar to the boomer generation, actor Dennis Hopper.

Developed in conjunction with Saatchi & Saatchi the broadcast ads will feature people pursuing their retirement dreams from building a boat to designing an eco-friendly house. Ads will appear on network and cable in popular programs such as "LOST," "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," "Desperate Housewives," "CSI: Miami" and "Without a Trace." The integrated campaign will also feature print, radio and online ads.

"Last year's groundbreaking campaign launched the Ameriprise Financial brand and focused on what we do to help boomers achieve their retirement dreams," says Jim Cracchiolo, chairman and chief executive officer of Ameriprise Financial. "Now we're telling boomers how we're redefining financial planning. It all begins with understanding our clients' dreams."

The ads are set in a variety of locations including a beach, salt flats and field of wildflowers that convey the serenity many boomers hope to achieve in retirement. Sitting within these tranquil settings on a 1960s-style red chair is Hopper.

"Our new campaign is a radical departure from standard financial services advertising," says Kim Sharan, EVP and chief marketing and communications officer of Ameriprise Financial. "We are firmly focused on the positive aspects of retirement and our understanding that boomers aren't going to spend this phase of life playing shuffleboard. There is no better figure to personify our message than legendary actor Dennis Hopper who embodies the spirit of the generation. With his help we are speaking with boomers not at them."

In the broadcast ads, Hopper adopts a conversational style. In one version he asks: "You still have things to do, right? You have dreams. And there is no age limit on dreams." In another version he reminds boomers that "the thing about dreams is - they don't retire."

Print ads will portray "real" people in a way that captures their retirement dream - photography, hiking and yoga to name a few - posing with a red chair. This red chair, used in both broadcast and print ads, symbolizes the launching pad for boomers' retirement dreams - it is an "anti-rocking chair."

The campaign introduces a financial planning process unique to Ameriprise Financial - Dream Plan Track(SM). Says Sharan, "It starts with a dream, results in a plan, and through the implementation of a financial plan enables the personal advisors of Ameriprise Financial to help clients stay on track to achieve the financial freedom they desire."

Integral to both the advertising campaign and the Ameriprise Financial Dream Plan Track approach to financial planning is the company's popular Dream Book(SM) guide. This guide was developed in response to findings of the Ameriprise Financial New Retirement Mindscape(SM) study conducted in August 2005 by Harris Interactive in cooperation with Ken Dychtwald, a leading authority on baby boomers. Results show that people want to engage with their financial advisor on a deeper more emotional level. A key finding in the study was that people want a financial advisor who understands them. This was rated just as important as return on investment.

"The Dream Book guide has been wildly successful," says Sharan. "Boomers want a financial advisor that first understands their dreams and then helps them realize those dreams. At Ameriprise Financial, we want to be recognized as the financial services company that looks beyond the numbers to understand our clients and the simple fact that dreams don't retire."

About the campaign

This is an evolution of the advertising campaign that Ameriprise Financial launched in September 2005 as an independent, publicly-owned company following the spin off from American Express Company, the sixth largest spin off in corporate history. The first phase of the campaign not only launched a new brand but also helped transform financial services advertising with a focus on the positive rather than a message of fear. As a result of this influential campaign, Ameriprise Financial achieved over 40 percent brand awareness in just eight months.

About Ameriprise Financial

Ameriprise Financial, Inc. is a leading financial planning and services company with more than 12,300 financial advisors and registered representatives that provides solutions for clients' asset accumulation, income management and insurance protection needs. The company's financial advisors deliver tailored solutions to clients through a comprehensive and personalized financial planning approach built on a long-term relationship with a knowledgeable advisor. The company specializes in meeting the retirement-related financial needs of the mass affluent. Financial advisory services and investments are available through Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Member NASD and SIPC. For more information, visit ameriprise.com.

(C) 2006 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved.

Source: Ameriprise Financial, Inc.

Contact: Ameriprise Financial, Inc., Minneapolis Ann Wasik, 612-678-1592 ann.m.wasik@ampf.com or Hill and Knowlton Marissa Wolf, 212-885-0647 marissa.wolf@hillandknowlton.com