WASHINGTON—According to a new AARP survey, more than 1 in 5 (22%) adults have no retirement savings. Nearly 2 in 3 (64%) are worried that they will not have enough money to last in their later years. Today, AARP and the Ad Council launched “This Is Pretirement,” a new, fully integrated campaign that encourages those thinking about retirement to plan for their financial future.

“Pretirement” refers to the period in people’s lives—typically during their 40s and 50s—when they are closer to retirement than they are to the start of their career and beginning to plan for the next phase of their life.

The campaign is targeted toward people in their 40s and 50s, encouraging them to think about retirement planning through a series of Public Service Advertisements (PSAs) that highlight free planning tools, including being able to receive a personalized retirement savings action plan.

“Planning for retirement is daunting,” said Mary Liz Burns, Senior Director of Communications Strategy at AARP. “This is where Pretirement comes in: it offers small steps that people can take now to help build a more secure financial future and accomplish goals like paying off debt, building an emergency fund, and understanding retirement savings options.”   

Research shows that while 86% of working adults recognized the importance of preparing for retirement, only about 40% feel they are prepared to retire. Adults ages 50 and older report a significant gap between what they have saved so far compared to what they expect to need in retirement ($275K vs. $750K).

“Planning for retirement looks different for everyone and there is no one right way to prepare,”

said Michelle Hillman, Chief Campaign Development Officer at the Ad Council. “The new This Is Pretirement platform empowers those in their Pretirement years—when retirement feels closer than ever—to take control of their financial future through small actionable steps.”

The new creative was developed pro bono by adam&eveDDB New York. The PSAs, titled “Fear No More,” feature a creature that serves as a physical manifestation of the fear many individuals experience when thinking about planning for retirement. The PSAs focus on a woman in Pretirement who discovers her funky, furry friend that helps her demystify retirement planning while showing her how to take small steps to better prepare at ThisIsPretirement.org.

“We know that as many people enter their 40s, the mere thought of retirement and preparing for the future can be scary. It’s like a monster in the closet. It will just keep getting scarier if you ignore it,” said Jason Ashlock and Paulo Junger, Executive Creative Directors at adam&eveDDB New York. “But, if people start planning now for the future, that metaphorical monster might turn out to be a sweetheart. To bring that notion to life, our team created a monster that seems scary at first but in fact, has some very practical and helpful advice.”  

Since its July 2017 launch, AARP and the Ad Council’s overarching “Saving for Retirement” campaign has received over $146 million in donated media support. The new creative work will appear in donated media nationwide in TV, radio, digital, out of home, print and social-optimized video formats.

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AARP
AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to the more than 100 million Americans 50-plus and their families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also works for individuals in the marketplace by sparking new solutions and allowing carefully chosen, high-quality products and services to carry the AARP name. As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the nation's largest circulation publications, AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org/about-aarp/, www.aarp.org/español or follow @AARP, @AARPenEspañol and @AARPadvocates on social media.

The Ad Council  
The Ad Council convenes creative storytellers to educate, unite and uplift audiences by opening hearts, inspiring action and accelerating change around the most pressing issues in America. Since the non-profit’s founding, the organization and its partners in advertising, media, marketing and tech have been behind some of the country’s most iconic social impact campaigns – Smokey Bear, A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Waste, Love Has No Labels, Tear the Paper Ceiling and many more. With a current focus on mental health, gun safety, the opioid epidemic, skill-based hiring and other critical issues, the Ad Council’s national campaigns encompass advertising and media content, ground game and community efforts, trusted messenger and influencer engagement, and employer programs, among other innovative strategies to move the needle on the most important issues of the day. 

To learn more or get involved, visit AdCouncil.org, join the Ad Council's communities on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter, and view campaign creative on YouTube. 

DDB WORLDWIDE 
DDB Worldwide (www.ddb.com) is one of the world's largest and most influential advertising and marketing networks which includes DDB branded agencies, along with adam&eveDDB (London, Berlin, New York), DM9 and Africa (both in Brazil), alma (Miami), Mango, Track and Rodgers Townsend. DDB has been named D&AD Agency Network of the Year for three consecutive years 2023, 2022, 2021, and adam&eveDDB has been named D&AD Agency of the Year 2023. In addition, DDB was awarded Effie’s US Agency of the Year 2022 and 2023, Asia Pacific Network of the Year 2022 Spikes Asia, #3 Global Network of the Year in 2022 and #1 Global Network of the Year in 2023 by the Cannes International Festival of Creativity, Network of the Year ADC in 2021, Network of the Year El Ojo 2021 and 2022, as well as numerous accolades from the industry's leading advertising publications and awards shows. WARC has listed DDB as one of the Top 3 Global Networks for 12 of the last 15 years. The network's clients include Molson Coors, Volkswagen, McDonald's, Unilever, Mars, Peloton, JetBlue, Adidas, Lucozade, CALM, PlayStation, Marmite, Waitrose & Partners, and the U.S. Army, among others. Founded in 1949, DDB is part of the Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC) and consists of approximately 10,000 employees across over 140 offices in over 60 countries, with its flagship office in New York, NY.