NEWS ARTICLE

August 3, 2009

Western National Celebrates Social Media 'Fans' & 'Followers'

It’s not every day that you can win $100 just for being a fan of something or for following someone—at least it wasn’t, before social media came along. Now, as Western National’s social media profiles are fast approaching 100 fans (on Facebook) and 100 followers (on Twitter), we’re showing our appreciation to current and new fans/followers with two prizes worth $100 each. They’re our way of saying “thanks” for helping us grow our presence in these online communities.

First, Facebook: as of 8/2/09 our Facebook page has 84 fans, leaving us with just 16 to go before we’ve reached our 100-fan goal. When we hit that goal, we’ll randomly select one of those 100 fans to win $100. Until then, if you haven’t yet become a fan of Western National, you still have time to win the prize by becoming one now. All Facebook users who are U.S. residents and who are at least 16 years old are eligible (see our official rules and eligibility information below), so feel free to spread the word to your family and friends. You can visit our Facebook page here.

For Twitter, where we currently have over 90 followers, we’re announcing that this week (Monday, August 3 through Sunday, August 9) is Follower Appreciation Week. Here’s how it works: we’ll ‘tweet’ messages, and you can get your name entered in our $100 drawing for ‘retweeting’ them. (If you don't know what 'retweeting' is, this article from Mashable.com offers a quick explanation.) At the end of the week, if you've retweeted our contest message at least once, you'll be entered into the drawing. All Twitter users who are U.S. residents and who are at least 16 years old are eligible, so (again) spread the word! You can visit our Twitter page here.

Thanks to our current and future fans and followers for your participation, and good luck!

Official Rules—Twitter 'Follower Appreciation Week' Retweeting Promotion

1. This promotion is offered by Western National Mutual Insurance Company ("WNMIC") and is open to any U.S. resident with a Twitter account who is at least 16 years of age. Please note that employees and agents of WNMIC and/or its affiliated companies and family members of these employees and agents are eligible to enter.

2. This promotion begins at 12am on Monday, August 3, 2009 and ends at 11:59pm on Sunday, August 9, 2009.

3. 1 prize will be available, and the odds of winning the prize are 1 in X, where X is the resulting number of entrants (a number that, since there is no maximum number of entrants, is not determinable until the promotion is complete). The winner will be notified via a private Direct Message (requesting a mailing address) and will be announced to the public within 48 hours of the drawing.

4. The prize itself will carry a value of $100, and will be awarded in the form of cash, a check, or a Visa gift card, to be determined at the discretion of WNMIC. A winner who is neither an employee nor an agent of the company will need to provide a mailing address upon request in order to receive the prize.

5. To be entered into the prize drawing, you must retweet one of the Follower Appreciation Week messages we send out during the promotional period, including the @WesternNational username in your retweet. These messages may change during the course of the promotion but will always include either the term "Follower Appreciation Week" or the hashtag "#faw". The entire original message from our Twitter account must remain intact in your retweet. There is a maximum of one entry per Twitter user; multiple retweets on your part will not result in multiple drawing entries. You do not have to be a customer of WNMIC to enter, so no purchase is required.

6. We will choose a winner randomly from all the entries within 48 hours of the promotion's end. The winner will be selected by assigning each entrant a number and then using a random number generator to choose a winner.

7. Entrants' personal details will be used by WNMIC strictly in accordance with our privacy policy.

8. Neither WNMIC nor its affiliated companies shall have any liability for (i) any technical failures of any kind, including but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections in phone lines or network hardware or software; (ii) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the promotion.

Official Rules—Facebook "$100-for-100" Promotion

1. This promotion is offered by Western National Mutual Insurance Company ("WNMIC") and is open to any U.S. resident with a Facebook account who is at least 16 years of age. Please note that employees and agents of WNMIC and/or its affiliated companies and family members of these employees and agents are eligible to enter.

2. This promotion begins at 12am on Monday, August 3, 2009 and ends at the moment when the Western National Facebook Page attains 100 fans.

3. 1 prize will be available, and the odds of winning the prize are 1 in 100. The winner will be notified via a private Facebook Message (requesting a mailing address) and will be announced to the public within 48 hours of the drawing.

5. To be entered into the prize drawing, you must be a visible "Fan" of Western National Insurance's Facebook Page no later than the moment when the Page attains 100 fans. You do not have to be a customer of WNMIC to enter, so no purchase is required.

6. We will choose a winner randomly from all the site's 100 fans within 48 hours of the promotion's end. The winner will be selected by assigning each entrant a number and then using a random number generator to choose a winner.

7. Entrants' personal details will be used by WNMIC strictly in accordance with our privacy policy.