8 more years? Addressing the gender pension gap with Irish Life



Services provided

  • Creative concept development
  • Scriptwriting
  • Video production
  • Creative social media campaign ideation

The challenge

Irish Life made waves in 2019 with their iconic 99 vs 77 campaign developed by 256. This award-winning campaign revealed a shocking truth: the gender pay gap in Ireland is leading to a gender pension gap. Many brands have since joined the conversation, but Irish Life was the first to shine a spotlight on this important issue.

Now, with an updated report, Irish Life wanted to reaffirm its position as a thought leader, highlight the causes of the pension gap, and offer solutions to new and existing clients. The key message: women in Ireland need to work 8 more years than men to get the same pension.

What we did

Once again, Irish Life needed a creative concept that would easily communicate just how unfair the pension gap is. The key to success was a simple, memorable, and culturally relevant idea that would resonate with the target audience.

Anyone who’s ever done a spin class can imagine how exhausting it is to get back on those bikes after an intense session and do it all over again. Much like being told you have to continue working for 8 more years while the men around you get to retire. That’s the emotion we wanted to capture.

With a simple yet impactful script and a relatable setting, we showed the reality of the gender pension gap in Ireland. A selection of stills from the video shoot was used across the campaign assets to seamlessly integrate the '8 more years' concept across earned, owned, and paid platforms.

The result is a powerful and engaging creative concept that keeps Irish Life at the forefront of the conversation while bringing the emotion of a complex topic to life. The video resonated deeply with the target audience, driving awareness and emphasising the urgency for change.

How it looks