PensioenCafe.nl: a night out well spent

Have you visited PensioenCafe.nl yet? You really ought to drop by, you know. There’s no better hangout for anyone looking to know more about pensions. 

PensioenCafe.nl was specially created for PH&C Horeca & Catering (Hospitality Industry) Pension Fund participants. Pension awareness amongst this group was poor, so PH&C asked us to provide a concept that would boost their interest in later life. Generally speaking, hotel and catering staff appear not to be overly interested in their pensions. They may like their work, but most PH&C Pension Fund participants never seem to look at pension fund newsletters and annual reports.

We came up with an idea for linking pensions to the hospitality industry - without  overloading participants with pages of intensely dull documentation. Instead, we decided to create a visual platform: PensioenCafe.nl. Storytelling regulars feature in a wide selection of straightforward videos. For example Rob Rabbit, a jumpy groom, explains what marriage means for his retirement. A fortune teller takes a mysterious peek into the future. The lavatory attendant’s fate gets everyone thinking...

The jury of the PBM Communication Awards were highly enthusiastic about the online platform, naming the concept "best communication with participants” in May 2014. PBM is short for Pensioen Bestuur & Management (Retirement Policy & Management), an independent body which aims to professionalise communication around pensions.

Of course, there are better reasons to visit the digital café than just to admire their awards. The whole site, which combines information and entertainment, is pretty impressive. PensioenCafe.nl has been entirely built in HTML5 and is therefore suitable for all devices.

To keep encouraging interactions, new stories are published regularly. The goal is to informally discuss pension issues with visitors twice a year, offering a clear context for pension news and the content of their pension statements. After all, a good pension starts with improved awareness.