Nest, the UK’s largest pension scheme by number of members, has teamed up with animation studio Aardman to create a campaign that aims to encourage people to take an active interest in their pensions. 

The campaign makes use of Aardman’s signature animation style to bring charm to an everyday subject matter. The campaign aims to drive awareness and motivate people to prioritise their pension.  

The campaign is made up of two stories created in collaboration with Aardman and creative agency Atomic London. The films, which will appear on YouTube, introduce viewers to a series of animated birds representing Nest members in everyday human work scenarios. They highlight that whilst people go about their normal working day, their Nest pensions are steadily building for their future in the background. 

The films are set in a Nest tree inhabited by a group of birds living and working together. Each story is narrated by comedian, musician, author and keen birder Bill Bailey. Each one focuses on a small moment of day-to-day working life. Characters including a parakeet hair stylist, a dove waiter, a bullfinch encountering scanning issues at the supermarket check-out, and a bluetit working from home having tech issues, are designed to be representative of the diverse jobs that real-life Nest members have. The approach is designed to show that pensions are part of everyone’s working lives.

Ending with the strapline: “Together, we’ll build you a bigger pension”, the films aims to create conversation and get audiences thinking about their pensions.

“Pensions don’t have to be intimidating, and we want people to engage with them sooner, rather than later. Partnering with Aardman, which, like us, is a purpose-driven organisation, allows us to bring this important message to life in a warm and accessible way,” says Pippa Strutt, Director of Brand at Nest.

Where one in three UK workers has a Nest pension, the campaign aims to make pensions feel less intimidating and more relatable.

Aardman’s flair for characterisation and narrative has a unique ability to bring audiences in. In a category where humour and charm are more scarce, Nest is striving to connect with its consumers with compelling storytelling. 

"We’re thrilled to bring Aardman’s trademark storytelling, warmth and wit to this new campaign for Nest. As a studio that’s long entertained the nation, it’s a privilege to help speak to that same audience about something as important as their future," added Steve Harding-Hill, Creative Director of Short Form & Commercials at Aardman.

System1’s new joint book with Aardman, Putting On a Show, uncovers some of the secrets to Aardman’s success, including why character work is so effective at driving short- and long-term effects. System1’s Andrew Tindall and Beth Marchant have unpicked some of the findings of the book for BITE.

With buckets of charm, character and humour, Nest and Aardman successfully make workplace pension schemes approachable and accessible.