The Government of Ontario is crossing generational lines as it looks to get young people thinking about saving for retirement.
Its latest campaign for the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan (ORPP), launched Wednesday, pairs millennials with recent retirees for a skill swap. The Bensimon Byrne-crafted campaign shows three millennials teaching retirees about their careers before sitting down with them to talk about what life as a retiree is like.
The three-part video series stars YouTuber and musician Andrew Huang, a gaming YouTuber named Andre (TypicalGamer) and Indie88 producer Brent Albrecht. In one video, Huang makes a music video using sounds he records of a retiree cooking. In another, Albrecht records a radio promo for a fictional show with a retiree named Maureen.
Joseph Bonnici, partner and executive creative director at Bensimon Byrne, told Marketing the campaign was designed to broach the topic of saving for retirement in a way that was relatable for its target of 18 to 35-year-olds.
As the retirees in the campaign explain, the infrastructure set up to support retirement has changed over the past two decades and young people working today are facing new challenges as they head towards retirement. Far fewer companies have pension plans, for example, and millennials tend to stay in jobs for shorter periods than their older counterparts a generation ago.
“The world of work isn’t what it used to be – and retirement isn’t what it used to be, either,” Bonnici said.
Rather than have the government tell young people to save more, Bonnici said the campaign was designed to have retirees tell their stories. The ORPP then paired the retirees with millennials to show how their experiences relate to today’s young consumers.
Bonnici said the millennials were chosen because each could reach a sizable young audience in Ontario. Typical Gamer, for example, has nearly 3 million followers on YouTube. Each of the millennials featured in the campaign is also helping the ORPP spread the videos on social media.
The videos direct to a microsite where the Government of Ontario provides more information about the ORPP and how to save for retirement.
The campaign also includes search, paid social media, display ads and a series of radio “vignettes” that are running on Indie88.
The ads are currently in market, with a media buy by PHD. The buy is mostly digital, with a heavy focus on YouTube pre-roll. The videos are also running on Rogers-owned sites, Vevo, MTV.ca and MuchMusic.com. They will not be running on broadcast.
The campaign will be in market for eight weeks, with potential for an extended run or a second phase based on a similar concept.
