How much did the DWP spend on its new pension campaign?

Celebrities worked for free

Hannah Godfrey
clock • 2 min read

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) spent almost £5.5m on its new star-studded 'Get to know your pension' advertising campaign, a Professional Adviser freedom of information request has found.

According to the DWP, the figure of £5.47m included creative development, production and media spend as well as research and evaluation costs. Former Dragons Den star Theo Paphitis, First Dates hosts Fred Sirieix and TV builder Tommy Walsh gave their time for free and so were not part of the production cost. The DWP said: "We use our in-house designers to repurpose the creative designs once developed, to enable the widest use across a range of different PR and online channels. We then maximise no-cost promotion of this content through our partners' networks." According to the Campa...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Retirement

Sounding the alarm: Facing the retirement reality check

Sounding the alarm: Facing the retirement reality check

'At the heart of the issue is a worrying lack of engagement'

Laith Khalaf
clock 17 June 2025 • 3 min read
Why we plan holidays, not retirements: Changing the client conversation

Why we plan holidays, not retirements: Changing the client conversation

'This is scary for us as an industry but even more scary for us as a nation'

Verona Kenny
clock 04 June 2025 • 4 min read
Inflation drives 'modest' rises in PLSA's Retirement Living Standards

Inflation drives 'modest' rises in PLSA's Retirement Living Standards

Majority of pre-retirees expect to live with someone else in retirement

Martin Richmond
clock 03 June 2025 • 8 min read