TLDR
Sydney investing app Pearler put life-sized skeletons in business suits through Town Hall, Wynyard and Central stations on Tuesday morning, holding signs reading 'Don't Work Forever' and no branding. It paid for no media; one bystander's video has passed 3 million views. The stunt fronts Pearler research finding 36% of Australians aged 18 to 45 doubt they will ever retire.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Skeletons in the morning rush
Commuters at Sydney's Town Hall, Wynyard and Central stations, and on one train, met life-sized skeletons in business suits and ties during Tuesday's morning rush. Led by "head skeleton" Barry, they held signs reading "Don't Work Forever", with no logo, QR code or call to action. Investing app Pearler later revealed itself as the brand.[1]
The stunt was made entirely by Pearler Studio, the company's in-house creative team, and used no paid media. It spread through meme pages, Reddit and news sites, and one bystander's Instagram video has passed 3 million views.[2] "We don't have the media budgets of the big dogs, so we have to generate awareness in more lateral ways," said creative director Jack Nunn, who joined from Clemenger BBDO this year.[1] "Don't work forever" is also the line on Pearler's own home page, which says more than 120,000 Australians have invested more than $3.5 billion through it.[4]
The research behind it
Pearler tied the stunt to a survey it commissioned from Pureprofile of 1,083 Australians aged 18 to 45, conducted this month. It found 36% doubt they will ever be able to retire and 48% expect a worse retirement than their parents. Respondents would ideally stop work at 50 but expect to keep going until 64. Women were more pessimistic: 43% doubt they will ever retire, against 30% of men.[3]
"So many young Australians now see retirement as something that happens to other people," said Pearler co-founder and chief executive Nick Nicolaides.[1] "That's not a retirement plan, that's a life sentence."[3]
For comparison, the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that people aged 45 and over who retired in 2024-25 did so at an average age of 63.8, and that those still working intend to retire at 65.6.[5]
SOURCES & CITATIONS
- Pearler spooks Sydney commuters with 'Don't work forever' skeleton stunt, Campaign Brief
- Investment app Pearler scares Sydney commuters with an army of skeletons, B&T
- Young Aussies expect retirement 14 years later than planned, Savings.com.au
- Pearler
- Retirement and retirement intentions, Australia 2024-25, ABS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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James Dore is founder and editor of Prompt the Market and Strategy Director at Bushnote, a Sydney strategy, SEO and AI search agency. He has a background in strategy, media and financial services, and led consumer product marketing at MONEYME. He writes on AI search, answer engines, technology policy and media economics.
