11/21/2011 - Two local women win appearances on national commercial spots
Irma Jackson and Carol Eickmeyer are headed for prime time.
The Mutual of Omaha "Aha Moment Tour" made stops in 26 cities over the past six months, recording more than 1,000 personal stories, including those of Jackson and Eickmeyer.
And, according to nationwide polling, the two Winston-Salem women's stories were among the best.
Jackson and Eickmeyer recorded videos in June in a mobile television studio that made a stop in Old Salem. Last month, tour organizers announced that they were among finalists in the contest, the winners of which would have their videos run as part of Mutual of Omaha's national television advertising campaign.
The contest ended this month, and both Jackson's and Eikmeyer's videos were winners. So this spring, edited versions of the videos they recorded at Old Salem will be broadcast during commercial breaks of such shows as "The Biggest Loser" and "60 Minutes."
Jackson, a retired teacher, said she was excited to win. Her video talks about retirement being a chance to "recycle" herself. She's been busy since leaving the classroom, doing such things as starting her own massage therapy business.
She said she hopes her video will offer people some perspective about retirement.
"I hope it changes the way people think about something everybody does," she said.
Eickmeyer said she was amused by the thought of being in a nationally broadcast commercial.
"I wonder if I'll ever catch myself on TV," she said. "It will be sort of like a talking mirror, I guess."
In her video, she talks about how her father's death changed the course of her life.
The contest winners were determined by how many views their videos got online. According to the number of views recorded on YouTube, Jackson's video was watched more than 1,900 times, and Eickmeyer's more than 1,800.
Jackson said she sent a link to her video to everyone in her email address book, asking people to watch it and pass the link onto others. She also asked her West Salem neighborhood association to watch the video.
"It kind of went places," she said.
Lauren Locher, a spokeswoman for the advertising campaign, said the contest is now in its third year, and it's unusual for one city to have more than one winner.
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