Society of Actuaries

Actually … You Can Hold Teenagers’ Attention

Opportunity

The Society of Actuaries (SOA)—the oldest and largest actuarial credentialing organization in the world—faced a visibility challenge. While the profession plays a critical role in shaping financial security, healthcare systems, and risk management worldwide, awareness among students was low.

SOA turned to Yes& to develop a digital awareness campaign targeting pre-college teens, college students, parents, teachers, and advisors across the U.S. and Canada. The goal: overcome limited awareness and reposition actuarial science as a compelling, modern career path for a generation driven by status, purpose, and social impact.

Insight:

You can’t aspire to a career you’ve never heard of. For Gen Z audiences, relevance starts with recognition and attention must be earned instantly.

To break through, we needed to demystify the word “actuary” while making it culturally and emotionally resonant.

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Solution

Yes& developed a campaign built around a single, memorable word: “Actually.”

The concept cleverly familiarized audiences with the term “actuary” by planting a seed of recall through repetition, rhythm, and storytelling. Energetic animation, bold visuals, and contemporary sound design made the executions feel native to social platforms—intentionally built to be click-resistant in environments where attention is scarce.

The campaign rolled out across paid social and skippable YouTube pre-roll, meeting students where they already spend time—and reframing actuarial science as a smart, impactful, and forward-looking choice.

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THE RESULTS

82%

video completion rate on skippable YouTube pre-roll ads

Outperformed

previous awareness efforts across every paid social metric

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