Pensions - Articles - Broadstone comments on Baroness Altmann’s creation 'Workie'

 “We met a new pensions personality today: ‘Workie’, the smiley monstrous latest manifestation of workplace pensions. The campaign is aimed at the small and micro employer market to highlight the fact that they can’t ignore it any more. It is early days and while comparisons with other furry animals in adverts are valid to an extent, it is unlikely the government can afford the sort of blanket coverage which has created household familiarity for the Meerkats. It is possible that something so odd actually makes people sit up and take notice, however I am sceptical that the coverage will be sufficient to make ‘Workie’ so recognisable that people get the message just from seeing him...her....

 The strategy may be effective and it may work and I sincerely hope it does, but I would have preferred building on the groundwork created by “we’re all in”, an effective campaign which could be extended to cover the buy-in needed by employers. I fear the £8.5m price tag will be targeted if the strategy fails, when it could have been spent on a different approach involving more direct communications with employers, rather than hoping busy people running small businesses are paying attention to adverts between Emmerdale and Corrie.”