2021 Signature Awards - COVID-19 Communications

This category is for companies that adapted their communications approach in light of the Covid-19 crisis. Entries included campaigns focused on communicating how the pandemic affected the retirement plan, plan changes due to the CARES Act, investing in a volatile environment, and/or creating an emergency fund.

1^st Place – ProHealth Care with Transamerica
ProHealth Care is a large healthcare provider in Wisconsin with 4,875 employees and multiple locations. Its workers have directly experienced the strain of COVID-19 as the pandemic pushed the nation’s healthcare system to its limits. Their 2020 communications aimed to remind employees of the importance of self-care and engaging with their retirement plan as they prepare for the future, despite all the challenges they have been facing. The PPE-themed campaign flips the negative connotations of personal protective equipment, instead encouraging workers to keep their focus on their retirement future to keep it protected and well-managed. The messages were to take a Proactive approach to personal information and avoid fraud; Protect your loved ones by updating a beneficiary; and try Easy-to-use managed account services. The image of a “Rosie the Riveter” (famous WWII adverstisement) health care worker dressed in her PPE was reflective of the organization’s culture and a message to “stay strong.” The campaign used flyers highlighting account security and beneficiary designations and a video explained the managed account service. Call-to-action buttons in emails were provided to schedule one-on-one appointments with retirement counselors. More than half of those that opened the email (58 percent) engaged with at least one of the resources. ProHealth Care was a winner due to the creative use of PPE as a theme, including images reflective of their employee population that resonated with employees, and a high level of engagement.

2^nd Place – University Health Care System with Transamerica
University Health Care System has grown into one of the largest, most comprehensive healthcare providers in Georgia employing4,500people. In 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a priority for University Health to encourage and thank their employees fortheir hard work and their “go above and beyond” mentality. A healthcare appreciation email campaign was developed. Additionally, they created a “Your Future's First Line of Defense” email campaign that focused on caring for one's financial health. Both emails encouraged employees to schedule a one-on-one appointment with a Transamerica retirement planning consultant, with a gift card incentive. Using a PPE theme, the second email provided links to Participate in the plan, Protect your loved ones and Explore Roth contributions. It also encouraged people to make appointments with the consultant. Other materials used included easy enroll and beneficiary flyers and a Roth video. The appreciation email had a 26 percent open rate and resulted in 219 one-on-one meetings. The “Your Future’s First Line of Defense” email resulted in 144 plan enrollees, 83 meetings, a 13.5 percent increase in beneficiary designations, and an increase in Roth deferrals. The judges felt this campaign was complete and holistic and they liked the PPE theme. The idea of thanking their workers also helped to make University Health Care System a winner.

3^rd Place – M. Arthur Gensler Jr. & Associates, Inc. with John Hancock
M. Arthur Gensler Jr. & Associates, Inc. (Gensler) is a global design and architectural firm with more than 3,900 employees. In 2020 the company wanted to address the impact of COVID-19 by focusing on three groups: furloughed/COVID impacted employees, pre-retirees, and the general population. The goals were to increase touchpoints, culturally align with international plans under Gensler, educate employees on plan updates and features, and maintain participants’ retirement readiness. To accomplish these goals a digital campaign of emails, live and recorded webinars, and a digital flyer was used. The flyer with a theme of “Daring to thrive in 2020” was interactive with hyperlinks to allow easy access to the recordings and other resources, such as a budgeting worksheet, emergency savings information, a retirement checklist, and more. The campaign resonated with employees and 10 percent of the population attended a webinar. 700 participants used the retirement planning tool. There was a slight increase in beneficiary designations. The participation rate stayed the same, indicating that people got the message to stay in the plan and the average deferral rate actually increased by half a percent. This company won because their communication pieces were very clear, clean, easy to digest, and ensured that everyone received them, even furloughed employees, creating very positive results.