Communications Strategies

In what manner should financial services companies communicate retirement income issues to their customers? Should their communications tilt toward the positive attributes of retirement at the expense of candid discourse?

To date, most advertising has portrayed retirement in an idealized fashion: a time to take up skydiving, snowboarding, or long walks on the beach. Sadly, this isn’t an accurate picture of retirement for most Americans. Will advertising strategies move beyond idealized images and begin to confront the realities most retirees face?

Given the enormous number of customers requiring retirement income solutions and advice, how will financial services companies and intermediaries reach all of those who need contact? Will consumer-friendly Internet technology play a central role in helping baby boomers interact with their advisors and solution providers?

These are just some of the critical issues to consider in developing an effective retirement issues communications strategy. RIIA is dedicated to helping its members access new compliant communications strategies, creative story telling and value-based messaging that will result in greater satisfaction and better education for customers. In addition, these strategies will focus members on ways to address the many compliance-related issues surrounding marketing and sales materials and how to enhance Internet-based communications.

To view an example of how web-based streaming media can deliver messages richly and at low cost, see RIIA’s movie: Defining the Future of Retirement Security.