Sue Bird Explores Untraditional Retirement Planning - Symetra | Clapboard Ad Archive
Symetra’s 2024 campaign Sue Bird Explores Untraditional Retirement Planning places the WNBA legend and Olympic gold medalist at the center of a content-driven, social-first initiative designed by Copacino Fujikado to disrupt dated perceptions of retirement within the banking and finance category. The brand’s first-ever content series, Plan Well, Play Well, reimagines the retirement journey through Sue Bird’s authentic post-athletic narrative, positioning Symetra as a modern, approachable partner attuned to the needs of a new generation approaching retirement, particularly women. Across three long-form episodes amplified by paid social and influencer collaborations, Sue takes on hip hop tap dance lessons with Chloe Arnold, a cake decorating contest with Robert Lucas, and allergic beekeeping with Jeff and Julie Russell, each scenario grounding the campaign’s core message that retirement is not a static endpoint, but an open canvas for new passions and adventure enabled by thoughtful financial planning. These branded lifestyle vignettes eschew heavy-handed product explanations in favor of humor, humility, and genuine curiosity, making Symetra’s core offerings—retirement plans, employee benefits, and life insurance—feel immediately more tangible, accessible, and inclusive for an audience historically under-served by the sector’s traditional communication norms. Through Bird’s candid reflections on reinvention and her willingness to step into the unknown, the work forges a compelling emotional link with women nationwide, reframing financial literacy as a journey that is ultimately about agency and self-actualization. The campaign’s use of Sue Bird as a recurring, evolving presence strategically aligns with what Clapboard’s taxonomy classifies as FORMAT#8—Ongoing Characters or Celebrities, drawing on her story as a relatable guide rather than an expert spokesperson or scripted testimonial. Surpassing 2.3 million views, the campaign demonstrates both reach and resonance at scale, powered by a multi-disciplinary creative approach that blends social storytelling with reality-inspired entertainment. The campaign earns 78/100 in Clapboard’s global creative archive. For the category, this work matters because it signals that financial services brands can resonate by centering lived experiences and emotion over technical exposition, so long as the creative execution builds genuine connection rather than defaulting to platitude.
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