Human Resources and Benefits Communication
Game, Set, Match!
Shyla Wright
J.P. Morgan
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Need/Opportunity / J.P. Morgan Retirement Plan Services is a 401(k) plan service provider. The
company provides full service retirement plan consulting, including record keeping and investment
and employee communication services.
In July 2008, Bemis Company decided to try to increase the number of their participants who were
deferring enough money to take advantage of the company’s matching contributions in the Bemis
Investment Incentive Plan (BIIP).
Established in 1858, Bemis Company is headquartered in Neenah, Wisconsin. The company is a
global supplier of flexible packaging and pressure-sensitive label materials. Bemis Company comprises
12 companies operating in more than 58 locations in 10 countries. They have annual sales of over
US$5.8 billion.
The Bemis Company match is generous. The company matches US$0.50 for every dollar for the first
2 percent of an employee’s contribution and US$0.25 for every dollar contributed between 2 percent
and 8 percent of compensation. In the volatile market of 2008, asking a participant to contribute 8
percent was going to be a tough sell. Gas prices were the highest they had ever been, and the economy
was showing signs of recession.
Even so, Bemis Company felt it was important for its participants to take full advantage of company
contributions to be better prepared for retirement. It wanted to make sure participants understood
the benefit of contributing more to the BIIP.
Audience Research
4 Approximately 3,007 employees.
4 The population is two-thirds male, one-third female.
4 Sixty percent of the audience is between 30 and 49 years of age.
4 Almost one-half of the audience is already contributing 4 percent of their compensation.
Intended Audience(s) / The audience included all Bemis Investment Incentive Plan (BIIP) par-
ticipants deferring between 1 percent and 7 percent of their compensation.
Goals and Objectives / Goal
Increase the number of participants contributing enough to receive the full amount of matching contributions.
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Human Resources and Benefits Communication
Objectives
1.Motivate 5 percent of the target audience to increase their deferral contributions.
2. M
otivate 3 percent of the target audience to increase their deferral contributions to 8 percent
(and receive the full amount of matching contributions).
Solution Overview / At conversion J.P. Morgan Retirement Plan Services had developed a “Join
the Team” logo for the Bemis retirement plans that was very sports-centric. Bemis wanted to use that
logo again for this campaign, as it saw great success in branding the plans with this logo.
Keeping in mind that it was summertime in Kansas City, J.P. Morgan Retirement Plan Services was
looking for a sport that would fit the idea of the company match. The communication pieces were
being mailed out in July, which was just before the U.S. Open tennis tournament. In addition, tennis
is played in “matches,” which ties into the campaign goal nicely.
The Game, Set, Match! campaign was designed to include easy-to-understand materials that were
visually appealing and carried a strong, recognizable theme. The communication team wanted participants to remember and recognize the specially created “Join the Team” logo when they saw it so it was
included on each piece.
The main focus was to present the company benefits match in a simple, clear manner. Two pieces that
reflected the tennis theme were developed. In addition, employee meetings were also held at six different locations. The importance of deferring enough to get the full company compensation match was
part of the presentation.
4 Postcard. The initial mailing for this campaign was a die-cut, folded postcard. It was tabbed
closed to eliminate the need for an envelope. The goal was to make this piece stand out in the
participant’s mailbox. The company researched a technique called “flocking,” where a part of
the postcard could be covered in a felt-like material. The tennis ball image on the front of the
card was covered in tennis ball material so participants would feel it when they pulled it out
of their mailbox.
The message was simple: You’re not contributing enough to get the full match for your 401(k).
Participants were also given the contact information to make a change in their deferral rates.
4 Deferral increase mailer. Two and one-half weeks after the postcard mailed, the deferral
increase mailer was sent. This piece was also a self-mailer designed to match the postcard.
Participants were given ideas of ways to save money to allow them to raise their deferral
rates. They were also shown how US$1 doesn’t actually equal US$1 when saving with pre-tax
money. This piece was personalized by placing the participant’s first name within the mailer.
The mailer included a tear-off, resealable self-mailing piece. The participant’s information was
included in a 2-D barcode. They merely had to check a box and sign their name before they
dropped it in the mail.
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Implementation and Challenges / Budget
The budget for this campaign was US$7,000. The actual cost was US$6,842 (or US$2.28 per person).
Careful planning and researching alternatives helped keep the campaign just under budget for this
conversion.
Challenges
The biggest challenge during this conversion campaign was the economy. Work on the theme and
materials began in June, and the pieces were mailed out in July. Gas prices were at record highs across
the country, and asking people to contribute more to their plan at this time was going to be a tough
sell. Despite that, Bemis felt strongly about helping their participants save for retirement.
Measurement/Evaluation / To measure final results, the deferral rates of the company’s target
audience were compared before the campaign began and after it ended.
J.P. Morgan Retirement Plan Services met or exceeded both of its goals:
1. Motivate 5 percent of the target audience to increase their deferral contributions. Result: 152
out of 3,007 participants increased their deferral rates—a 5 percent response rate.
2. Motivate 3 percent of the target audience to increase their deferral contributions to 8 percent
(and receive the full company matching contribution). Result: 107 out of 3,007 participants
increased their deferral rate all the way to 8 percent or higher—a 3.5 percent response rate.
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