TIAA-CREF Wins Media Strategy Award for Corporate Advertising

Stability Ad Campaign Generates 165% Increase in Calls

New York, May 19, 2009

TIAA-CREF, the leading provider of retirement services in the academic, research, medical and cultural fields, was named a Media Strategy Award winner by the Journal of Financial Advertising & Marketing (JFAM). TIAA-CREF’s advertising campaign promoting the organization’s stability during economic volatility was selected in the Corporate Advertising category.

The campaign’s objectives were to assure participants of TIAA-CREF’s continued strength and stability in light of the current economic landscape; and heighten awareness of TIAA-CREF’s distinctive offering among the company’s institutional clients.

"We want people to know that during these challenging times, TIAA-CREF remains an organization they can trust and can turn to for retirement security and objective advice to weather the volatile market," commented Jamie DePeau, head of marketing at TIAA-CREF.

From September through December 2008, TIAA-CREF’s stability messaging appeared in major cities where core clients are located and where the company is attempting to establish new relationships. The message was carried in major daily newspapers, digital display ads, and business-to-business publications for higher-education decision makers, faculty publications and LinkedIn messages to employees at 11 key client institutions.

The company experienced a 165% increase in calls to dedicated campaign phone numbers.

Award winners were chosen from strategic financial media work conceived and/or executed by financial marketers and agencies in 2008. Winners were honored on February 5 at The JFAM Media Strategy Awards ceremony in New York City.

About TIAA-CREF
TIAA-CREF (www.tiaa-cref.org) is a national financial services organization with more than $350 billion in combined assets under management (as of 03/31/09) and is the leading provider of retirement services in the academic, research, medical and cultural fields.

Media Contact:

Chad Peterson, Director, Corporate Media Relations
cpeterson@tiaa-cref.org, 212 916-4808 Cell: 917 715-9083

Jennifer L. Compton, Sr Media Relations Officer, Corporate Media Relations
jcompton@tiaa-cref.org, 212 490-9000, ext. 3486 Cell: 917 597-8896