Genworth is to GE, as a five-year old tennis prodigy is to Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf? If you don't get the connection, it may be time to dust off those SAT prep books and review the analogy section.

Genworth latest's television spot tries to convince viewers that Genworth's relationship to GE is much like Andre and Steffi's son to his star parents.

In the commercial, a five-year old boy battles Taylor Dent, a rising star in men's tennis, in an increasingly fierce "rally." After Dent wins the point with an overhead smash, Graf and Agassi pull up in a minivan to pick up their baby tennis star. A voiceover declares "the right genes make all the difference."

Although the five-year old tennis prodigy that appears in the commercial is not the actual son of Graf and Agassi, he is the son of a tennis instructor.

The response from the commercial has been "tremendous," said Mike Kachel, Genworth spokesman. He said the company has received calls from, among other places, German television stations, the London Mirror, and schoolteachers in Washington state.

The television spot first started airing a few weeks ago and is running on cable channels in the U.S. and Europe, including CNN, ESPN and the History Channel.

Genworth has also placed print ads in USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, and business magazines, said Kachel. The ad declares, "There’s nothing more important than where you come from. Except where you're going." The ads will run over the next several months.

Although it may not seem like it from the responses Kachel said Genworth received, the GE offspring is targeting intermediaries with the ad campaigns. Genworth's "producers" watch a lot of news, added Kachel.

The advertisements are the first wave of the Genworth's advertising campaign, said Kachel. Genworth can reference the GE brand and tagline for five years.

Klamath Indications, a division of the WPP Group, produced the advertisements. 

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