The Investment Association (IA) has launched the second phase of Invest for the Future, its industry-led retail investment campaign, as part of a sustained effort to convert the UK’s saver base into investors.
The new activity comes with a significantly increased media investment behind it.
At the heart of the push is the IA’s view that the UK has a strong savings culture, but too many savers who could invest see it as unfamiliar or ‘not for people like them’.
The campaign is designed to reframe investing as an achievable next step from saving, rather than a separate behaviour reserved for the already financially confident.
Messaging is tailored to savers at different stages of the journey, from those just exploring the idea through to those closer to taking action.
Phase one, which ran from April, used 18% of the full year’s planned media spend to deliver 124 million paid impressions and more than 216,000 clicks.
Pre- and post-campaign research found the proportion of people agreeing that ‘investing is for people like me’ rose from 59% to 65%.
In the wider survey, the proportion of savers who said some of their savings were invested rose from 36% to 42%.
After exposure to the advertising, 49% said they were more likely to consider investing, and 83% said they had taken or would take at least one action, such as researching investing further.
Phase two extends the campaign across linear TV, video on demand, radio, digital audio, podcasts, out of home, press, social, display and search.
The activity directs savers to takethenextstepinvest.co.uk, which positions itself as an educational resource rather than a product recommendation tool.
John Owen, chief executive of the Investment Association, said: “The UK has a strong savings culture, but too many people who could consider investing still see it as unfamiliar, complicated or simply something other people do. The first six months have given us encouraging evidence that we can begin to change those perceptions.”
Owen added that change would not happen overnight.
“Alongside wider reforms to improve the support available to consumers, this sustained commitment from across the industry can help build greater understanding and confidence and ultimately, a stronger investing culture in the UK.”