Former Eastenders actor and TV presenter Ross Kemp is the latest celebrity to front the industry-led ‘Pay your Pension Some Attention’ campaign.
He follows in the footsteps of rapper Big Zuu, TV presenter Timmy Mallett and reality star Gemma Collins, all of whom have fronted this engagement campaign, which is co-ordinated by the ABI and Pensions UK, and supported by a number of major pension providers.
The year’s campaign will focus on encouraging people to track what’s in their pension and boost funds where needed. The campaign will feature Kemp in a ‘fitness advert’, with pensions trainer Bola Sol, with Kemp urging people to ‘gain pounds’ for the future.
Continuing with this ‘fitness’ theme the advert suggests people step away from the cross-trainer and listen to the ‘Ross-trainer’ instead for three steps to strengthen their future. These are to ‘stretch’ their minds back to past employers and pensions, ‘check their form’, by logging into pensions accounts to see how much is saved, and then to ‘work out’ how much is needed for the future.
The ABI points out that people in the UK are far more likely to set fitness or healthy eating goals than they are savings or financial targets. It points out that while 37 per cent of Brits in the 35 to 55 age category have made a healthy lifestyle changes, fewer than one in three (29 per cent) have organised their finances for later life. Similarly, UK adults are far more likely to check their fitness progress than their pension balance – with people twice as likely to track daily steps or hours they’ve slept than the value of their retirement funds.
The campaign directs the public to the Pension Attention website, and encourages employers to help promote this ‘pension fitness plan’ to workers, to ensure they are retirement ready.
Talking about this campaign Ross Kemp says: “A lot of us care about getting fit for the future – that’s why we hit the gym, eat better, and try to sleep more. But your pension is part of that too. With an easy three-step training plan, you could strengthen your pension and gain some serious pounds. Do your future self a favour and pay your pension some attention.”
The Minister for Pensions, Torsten Bell adds: “Most people check their fitness apps more than their pension balance, but both are important for a healthy future.
“We’re ramping up the pace of pension reforms to make saving easier and ensure people get the most from every pound you’ve saved. In the meantime, I encourage everyone to take a few minutes out of their day to check their pension and plan for their retirement.”
Commenting on the campaign, Mark Smith, spokesperson for the Pension Attention campaign said: “By teaming up with Ross Kemp and Bola Sol, we want to encourage the nation to focus on their pension saving just as much as they focus on their health and fitness goals.
“Our research shows many people aged 35-55 are eating well and staying active for the sake of their future selves, but few have taken steps to plan financially for later life. We hope that by aligning physical and financial fitness, we can engage those who may not have ever thought about their pensions before.
“As an industry, we have an important role to play in helping UK adults understand their pensions. By coming together – under a single umbrella – with a simple, bold and memorable campaign, we can build on the successes of the past three years and increase saver engagement in pensions.”