The Super Members Council (SMC) has launched an initiative urging young Australians to look after and nurture their superannuation like it is a “golden goose”.
The move has been driven by SMC research that showed nearly 50 per cent of Australians say they do not understand the basics of super. It was developed with creative agency Thinkerbell and will be available across catch-up TV, streaming services, outdoor advertising, audio, social and digital, and workplace and industry channels.
The content from the service directs people to a new website, lookafteryoursuper.com, where they can watch the video and also go straight to a simple question and answer facility about superannuation written in plain English.
“Instead of charts, jargon and percentages, this initiative highlights that super is something you look after. If you nurture your Golden Super Goose, protect it and pay attention to it, it grows. And when you retire, it then looks after you in your post-work years as your source of income,” SMC chief executive Misha Schubert explained.
The associated advertisement features a young woman starting out in the workforce being given a gosling, which she nurtures throughout her working life until it becomes a mature goose and its feathers turn completely gold upon her retirement.
In other research, the SMC also recently found young Australians who understand super are six times more likely to take actions that improve their retirement savings.
“That’s an enormous dividend from something as simple as education,” Schubert noted.
“Super works best when people understand it and nurture it. Helping more young Australians look after their super now means more security and dignity for them later in life.”
The industry body indicated the Golden Super Goose initiative was also in response to calls from the federal government and regulators for superannuation funds to improve their member engagement activities.
