Empower Retirement is using space aliens to convince young DC plan participants to develop a solid strategy for retirement rather than contemplate over-the-top events that would make such planning unnecessary.
Being abducted by aliens or being eaten by a bear are some of the preposterous reasons for avoiding retirement planning in a series of brief cartoon videos posted on social media.
Also for social media, Empower produced several live-action videos identifying far-fetched ideas — like discovering oil in your backyard or becoming a famous rock star — as a substitute for retirement planning.
The cartoon alien, for example, expresses dismay that some people won't save for retirement because they figure aliens will take over the world. “That's ridiculous. You know nothing of our plans,” the alien says.
“We're trying to connect with the millennial group about the need to save and the importance to save early,” said Stephen Jenks, chief marketing officer for Empower Retirement, Greenwood Village, Colo. “We're blending information and entertainment to meet folks where they are — at social media.” Venues for the videos include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.
The Empower creative team that developed the campaign includes younger employees, Mr. Jenks said.
The videos are part of Empower's “Now Is A Good Time” campaign. Millennials — individuals between the ages of 18 and 34 — represent the largest group of participants among plans for which Empower is a record keeper, Mr. Jenks said. The videos will be used in education campaigns for sponsor clients, too.
