In a new brand platform and TTL campaign: ‘Unleash Your Second Half’, created by newly appointed agency, It’s Friday, Colonial First State (CFS) is encouraging Australians to rethink what retirement means to them, turning it from a perceived ‘ending’ to an opportunity to unleash their ‘second half’.
Traditionally, Australians are meant to retire happily after 40 years of work, but many reject the stereotypes of retirement, which no longer match the expectations or desires of many Australian pre-retirees. Many people are seeking to enter this new phase of life on their own terms, injecting it with new purpose and a desire for ongoing fulfilment and meaning.
‘Retirement’ is the beginning of their second half. A second half that isn’t defined by what they did in their first half.
So, the campaign asks Australian pre-retirees an important and unexpected question: ‘What do you want to do when you grow up?’
Todd Stevenson, chief customer officer at CFS, says: “The new campaign created by It’s Friday recognises that, for many Australians, retirement isn’t what it used to be. When planned for, it can be an exciting new time of personal growth, achievement, and purpose. A time when people often have more freedom to pursue things that are meaningful to them, but not necessarily what they did in their first half. CFS wants to celebrate that and help Australians make it as great as it should be and recognise the important role that a financial
adviser can play.”
It’s a question normally asked of the young but is given surprising new relevance when put to ambitious Australians about to embark on their second half. Each character we see in the TV spots has a vision for their future that will give them as much, if not more, purpose than their working life.
By planning for retirement, these ‘second halves’, which have been nurtured throughout people’s lives, can finally be unleashed, allowing each to thrive in a new way.
Vince Lagana, chief creative officer of It’s Friday, added: “It’s exciting to take a category that often feels passive and cliché and inject new energy into it by flipping the traditional message.
“Some retirees may want to sail off into the sunset and take long walks on a beach, and all too often that’s how older people are depicted in advertising, but retirement doesn’t have to be that. It can be a chance to rediscover your youthful exuberance and try new things.
Acknowledging this will be a breath of fresh air for many pre-retirees, while repositioning CFS as the brand dedicated to making it happen.”
