PartnerComm, Inc. recently won second and third place in Pension & Investments magazine’s 2007 Eddy Awards. Eddy Awards honor plan sponsors who have done an outstanding job communicating and educating defined contribution plan participants about making wise investment choices.

PartnerComm received second place in the “Special Projects” category of the 2007 Eddy Awards for the communication surrounding MGM MIRAGE’s 401(k) promotion. The campaign innovatively coupled the need for employees to take better care of their skin with the need for employees to take better care of their futures.

Using bright imagery on beach ball and sunscreen-shaped mailers, employees were given eye-catching materials with concise yet powerful copy, reminding them of the importance of wearing sunscreen and contributing to their 401(k) retirement funds. Using SPF to stand for “Savings, Participation, Future” and the phrase “Don’t get burned!” were fun plays on words that effectively worked to intertwine smart health and investment choices. One of the mailings even included a supplementary packet of sunscreen and an inflatable beach ball to further engage employees.

The campaign yielded great results: 7.5 percent of targeted employees enrolled in the plan following the campaign.

PartnerComm also received third place in the “Special Projects” category of the 2007 Eddy Awards for Burger King Corp.’s campaign — “Pass the Catch-Up Please.” The creatively scripted communication pieces were successful in explaining investment options and retirement benefits to employees, including a targeted audience of over 400 employees whose defined benefit plans had been frozen.

Using brightly colored mailers with short, to-the-point verbiage like “King Size Your Retirement,” PartnerComm explained and highlighted the benefits of retirement in an exciting and interesting manner. One of the cleverest pieces was a small 401(k) piece that resembled a coupon book, reiterating the importance of saving little by little to achieve big long-term results in retirement. The materials were not convoluted and boring, but brief, witty and easy to understand.