Increasing employee contributions and deferral rates and introducing target-date funds were central goals of many of the winning campaigns in the Eddy Awards.
The awards, sponsored by Pensions & Investments, were presented Feb. 9 at the 17th Annual P&I Defined Contribution Conference in Miami Beach, Fla. They recognize the highest caliber investment education programs of defined contribution plan sponsors corporate, union and not-for-profit and service providers.
(To see the complete list of winners and their winning entries, click here.)
In an unusual move, the judges awarded Best in Show to a standout submission from New York Life Retirement Plan Services.
Among plan sponsors, Dean Foods, Dallas, won first place in initial education for corporate plans for its game-themed campaign. The game, akin to the Game of Life board game, asked participants to evaluate their own game plan for life and presented simple information and facts with every move.
We worked with Dean to develop the game theme that would resound with employees so it would attract employee interest, said William Shaw, director of marketing and communications at The Hartford, Boston, Deans service provider. Dean has a $865 million 401(k) plan.
Once past the attention grabber/emotional wrap of the program, we combined the rational core (the need to enroll) or the facts and meat of what were trying to do. The rational core is key, as it is based on an adult model of learning based on two questions: What do I need to do? and How do I do it?
For public plans, Los Angeles won first place with a stylish movie premiere campaign featuring the Attack of the Investment Anxiety Robot. The materials used lush, rich colors and movie theater imagery.
Steven Montagne (plan administrator of the City of Los Angeles Deferred Compensation Plan) has a real passion for promoting his plan and he came up with the idea of renaming, or branding, the citys deferred compensation plan as the PREMIERE plan to generate excitement and awareness among city employees, said Chris Cumming, senior vice president-marketing at Great-West Retirement Services who worked with the $2.8 billion 457 plan. The concept was renamed to include PREMIERE, thus encouraging participants to look at retirement as a premiere a big event one that marks the culmination of years of planning, hard work and imagination.
In the conversion category for plan sponsors, Kwik Trip Inc., La Crosse, Wis., took first place for companies with fewer than 5,000 employees. Judges said the use of primary colors and extensive branding made this a winner.
Our mission statement at Kwik Trip is to serve our customers and community more effectively than anyone else by treating (them) as we, personally, would like to be treated and to make a difference in someones life, explained Dena Zezulka, human resources-benefits manager at Kwik Trip. We are focused and driven in all that we do by this mission statement. Because our co-workers know our mission statement and are asked to live by it every day, our profit-sharing committee felt it was important to include it in our campaign.