Hancock Runs Manager Ad

John Hancock Funds is running an advertisement which features Timothy Keefe, senior v.p. and chief equity officer of Hancock affiliate Sovereign Asset Management and manager of the John Hancock Large Cap Equity Fund. The ad will run in December and possibly January, said Keith Hartstein, president and ceo of Hancock, and is unique for Hancock because it features one manager and his index-beating returns. The ad will appear in trade publications which target advisors, including Financial Advisor, Financial Planning, On Wall Street and Registered Rep.

Hartstein said Hancock designed the ad to highlight Keefe's long-term record, despite a blip in the fund's performance during a period when Keefe left the firm. The headline reads, "This alpha driven manager is in a class of his own." Keefe left the firm in 2000 and returned in 2004.

Over three years, the fund returned 14.46%; over 10 years it returned 8.76%, but over five years it returned ­1.59%.