Millennials will be young forever, so they don't have to think about stuff like retirement or pension plans.
Just in case that logic proves wrong, the government of Ontario, Canada, teamed up with ad agency Bensimon Byrne—of absurd beer slogans fame—for a series of online spots designed to get 18- to 35-year-olds thinking about their golden years.
Breaking this week, the videos, each more than two minutes long, promote a new offering called the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan. Each sets up a "generational exchange of wisdom" that pairs a retiree with a millennial. The twenty-somethings—all high-profile influencers in Canada—learn what retirement is about, and the seniors get a crash course in popular culture.
In the clip below, YouTube music star Andrew Huang hangs out with ex-cop Livingstone. They chat a bit about saving for retirement and cook up a sizzling dance track, using sounds from a skillet and other kitchen utensils:
"This was the best way to reach millennials because it's a complicated subject with many nuances," Joseph Bonnici, executive creative director at Bensimon Byrne, tells AdFreak. "Imagine asking a young person to worry about something 40 years down the road? That's not something a :30 pre-roll can accomplish. We wanted to create compelling content that would give young people some true insight into what retirement was actually like."
In this next spot, retiree Maureen schools Typical Gamer on teatime etiquette, while scoring tips on trash talk and Far Cry Primal:
Guess that scruffy Canadian dude learned that retirement's no game, eh?
"We specifically chose these three young stars because they had a natural curiosity about the subject matter," says Bonnici. "Once the shoot actually began, we allowed the relationships to develop organically. They were told very basic information about one another, and we only told them they were there to exchange some wisdoms and experiences from one another's lives."
Finally, Brent, a host on Toronto's Indie 88 radio, puts a classical spin on the D.J. trade for Kathy, who teaches him how to dance the Charleston:
"There were absolutely no rehearsals, and they met on set as the cameras were rolling," Bonnici says. "We basically kept them rolling for the next 12 hours as they chatted and learned. It was incredible to watch their bonds blossom throughout the day and see the young stars take the retirees under their wing and vice versa."
Indeed, the intergenerational sweetness is fun and even moving, while the retirement discussions are brief and not too preachy. Millennials will probably appreciate the whole "sharing ideas" concept, which keeps the spots from feeling like lectures they can just tune out. (The young snots!)
Of course, after shooting some 36 hours of footage, a lot of material wound up on the cutting-room floor.
"There was a great scene where Brent from Indie 88 crank-called Kathy's granddaughter," Bonnici recalls. "Brent told her Kathy had been arrested for shoplifting classical music records. The granddaughter was absolutely speechless."
CREDITS
Campaign Title: Wisdom Exchange
Client: Government of Ontario
Product: ORPP
Agency: Bensimon Byrne
Creative Director: Joseph Bonnici / Dan Strasser
Associate Creative Director: Lorne Covant
Art Director: Debbie Chan
Writer: Matt Doran
Agency Producer: Meghan Cheesbrough
Group Account Director: Jill Engelman
Business Lead: Charlotte Osbourne
Project Manager: Ashley Belfast
Production House: Untitled Films
Director: Andrew Norton
Director of Photography: Jesse Louttit
Executive Producer: Peter Davis
Line Producer: Tony Phibbs
Post Production Offline: School Editing
Producer: Emily Torontow
Editor: Matthew Kett
Post Production Online: Smith
Producer: Patty Bradley
Editor: Justin Lee
Transfer: Smith
Colorist: Andrew Ross
Audio House: Pirate
Producer: Maggie Blouin-Pearl
Director: Vanya Drakul
Engineer: Jared Kuemper