People’s Pension1 spread a little festive cheer at Victoria Station this weekend with a Christmas cracker giveaway designed to get more people talking about their pensions.
With the help of two life-size model reindeer, the workplace pension provider handed out more than 3,500 crackers that were specially designed to spark pension conversations. As well as chocolate coins and pension-themed Christmas jokes2, each contained a message about the value of saving for our futures.
Passers-by were invited to pull a cracker with the People’s Pension team, with a donation from each going to its Charity of the Year, St Catherine’s Hospice3 in Crawley, which provides vital care and support across Sussex and Surrey.
The festive event was part of an innovative public engagement campaign by People’s Pension called the #PensionDrop4, which aims to rewrite the traditional rules of pension engagement by finding new ways to ‘drop’ helpful pension facts, tips and nudges into people’s everyday lives.
Molly Handley, Brand Lead at People’s Pension, said:
“We know not everyone loves talking about pensions like we do – and that it can be hard to find time to think about our futures when we’re so busy today. That’s why the #PensionDrop is experimenting with different ways to have this important conversation.
“By meeting people where they are, whether that’s on their travels through Victoria Station, or through the social media influencers they follow, we hope to encourage more people to think about their pension. Saving a little and often towards our retirement is the best gift we can give to our future selves, which is the message we were spreading at Victoria Station, alongside a lot of festive cheer.”
Research4 from People’s Pension found that nearly half (47%) of Gen Zs are not engaged with their pension, while 12% believe there’s no point engaging at all because they don’t think they’ll ever be able to retire. Its research also uncovered the types of messages that resonate most with younger savers. For example, 70% are motivated to act knowing that starting to save in their 20s could double their pension pot compared with starting in their 30s.
In response, the #PensionDrop campaign has also been experimenting with dropping pensions facts like this one into partnerships with celebrities and social media influencers who post about a whole range of topics, such as comedian and TV presenter Iain Stirling, manifesting expert Roxie Nafousi, parenting influencer Warren Hoyte and lifestyle creator Beth Fuller:
‘With a workplace pension, every 80p you put in turns into at least £1.60. It’s a bit like free money from your boss and the government.’
Kirsty Ross, Proposition Director at People’s Pension, said:
“Traditional pensions messaging can put people off, as our research has shown, so it’s time to try something new. Putting pensions tips into crackers might seem a crackers idea, but it’s all part of an important mission to change the way our industry engages with savers.
“By replacing jargon and scare tactics with simple, upbeat messages, we’re showing that saving for the future doesn’t have to be complicated, and that even small steps now can make a big difference later.”
Notes to editors:
1. People’s Pension is the largest commercial master trust in the UK based on members, serving seven million pension savers (including nearly one million Gen Z) across the UK and managing more than £38bn in assets. It is provided by People’s Partnership, a business without shareholders, that reinvests its profits with the aim of helping customers and achieving better financial outcomes for everyone.
2. People’s Pension’s pension-themed Christmas jokes include:
• What do Santa’s little helpers do once a year with their pensions? A financial elf-check.
• Why did the gingerbread man check his pension? He didn’t want his dough to crumble later.
4. The #PensionDrop campaign is part of a broader effort to rethink how we talk about saving for the future, particularly with younger savers, replacing jargon and doom-laden messaging with simple, positive reminders that small steps now can make a big difference later. It’s a social-first campaign, with content from creators including bethmfuller, daywithday, iaindoesjokes, and roxienafousi.
5. Research conducted on behalf of People’s Pension by Opinium Research from 29th August – 2nd September 2025 among a nationally representative survey of 2,000 UK adults