This is a summary of our Communicating Complexity to Consumers event, which took place on 22 January 2026.
The event explored how financial services marketers can support better decision-making in an increasingly complex, regulated, and emotionally charged investment environment, particularly within pensions. We heard from:
Samantha Gould, Head of PR & Communications, NOW: Pensions
Claire Barron, Campaign Manager, Smart Pension
Marta Brodzka, Head of Finance, Stand
Leilah Aintaoui, Managing Director, VideoSmart
Complexity, regulation and the communication challenge
Financial services marketers are under growing pressure to explain complex concepts clearly while operating within strict regulatory frameworks. Despite increased digitisation, customer communications have become more complicated rather than more simple. Regulated businesses face a combination of challenges: technical subject matter, message fatigue, accessibility requirements, slow technology adoption, and increasing standardisation that makes differentiation harder.
These challenges are not unique to financial services. Across all regulated industries, compliance creates mandatory moments of attention with customers. The opportunity lies in how those moments are used – either as barriers to engagement or as meaningful touchpoints that build understanding and trust.
Innovation within compliance
Speakers highlighted the power of combining data with rich media, such as video, to transform critical communications. When used thoughtfully, data-led personalisation and visual storytelling can make mandatory messages more engaging and impactful, even within compliance constraints. Innovation is possible (and often most effective) when compliance is treated as a design challenge rather than a blocker.
A recurring theme was the importance of putting customers at the centre of all communications. Clarity builds trust, trust drives retention, and retention is a commercial advantage.
Making better use of data
Not all organisations have perfect data and they don’t need to. Delegates were encouraged to start with what they do trust, however limited that may be, and build from there. Even basic data points such as a name or sign-up date can be used meaningfully. Robust data management systems are now non-negotiable, and confidence in data can be built incrementally through cleaning and governance rather than waiting for perfection.
Balancing marketing and compliance
Strict rules around what can and cannot be said mean financial communications should feel supportive rather than overtly promotional. One practical approach discussed was separating essential legal information from core messages, for example keeping terms and conditions secondary so they don’t overwhelm the main content. Mandatory messages can still be delivered in a way that feels like customer service, not marketing.
Why confidence matters more than understanding
A key insight was that confidence often matters more than full comprehension. Most people successfully use complex systems they don’t fully understand because they trust the structure around them. Pensions and other investments are no different.
The real risk is not complexity itself, but leaving people alone in it. When organisations go quiet, uncertainty grows – and uncertainty drives poor behaviour, such as unnecessary switching or early withdrawals. Most savers aren’t trying to become experts; they want reassurance that they’re on track, not making mistakes, and that someone trustworthy is looking after their money.
Good communication absorbs complexity on behalf of customers and turns abstract concepts into something tangible and recognisable.
What good communication looks like
Effective pensions communication meets people at the right time, in the right place, and through the right channels. It prioritises clarity and reassurance over volume and information overload. People want help they can act on, delivered in ways that fit their lives.
Long-term investments only work if people feel confident enough to stay invested for the long term. Retirement doesn’t begin at retirement, but with the very first contribution. Providers such as Smart Pensions were highlighted as examples of organisations focused on absorbing complexity and building confidence early.
The employer’s role
Employers remain one of the most trusted routes to reaching people about pensions. While pensions are often the most valuable benefit an employer offers, they compete for attention with more visible perks. Clear, consistent workplace communication across multiple channels is essential to keep pensions front of mind and meaningful.
Gender, confidence and the pensions gap
Research shared by NOW: Pensions revealed striking gaps in awareness and confidence. Only half of adults recognise the gender pensions gap, one in four women do not have a pension, and women would need to work an average of 19 years longer to reach parity with men.
Auto-enrolment has boosted participation but reduced active engagement. Combined with career breaks for childcare and caring responsibilities, this has created significant long-term impacts on women’s retirement outcomes. Early education, realistic messaging, and sustained engagement are critical to reversing this trend.
A confidence gap persists, driven by fear of complexity and concern about “getting it wrong”. Brands must avoid patronising tones while still providing accessible guidance. Language that resonates with women was shown to perform better more broadly, supporting inclusivity across ethnicity, sexuality, and life circumstances.
Education, community and trust
One-off reports or whitepapers are not enough on their own. Impact comes from multi-channel campaigns that bring messages to life and ensure they reach end users over time. Workplaces play a vital role in creating safe spaces for open conversations, particularly when peers share similar challenges.
Shame and judgement remain major barriers. In environments where financial knowledge is assumed, people are more likely to disengage. Clear signposting to trusted resources (and knowing when to direct people to professional advice) is essential, particularly where HR teams are expected to support auto-enrolment conversations.
Looking ahead
The event closed with a reminder that there is no “average” saver. Life journeys, confidence levels, and financial priorities vary widely. Effective financial communication starts with understanding people as they are and helping them move forward with confidence, not confusion.
