Generating More Leads with AI: Lessons from This PoS Campaign

Suddenly, the topic of retirement planning becomes tangible – when I can speak to an aged version of myself on a large display. What sounds like a gimmick has already delivered measurable results for the Sparkassen. But the campaign offers even more.

Studies show: One in five people over 80 in Germany lives in old-age poverty – yet 61% in hindsight would have preferred to save more. The topic presents personal, societal, and communication challenges. After all, one’s own “aging” usually feels distant to much younger retirement planning target groups. That the relevant products and campaigns are often abstract and emotionally hard to grasp does not help.

This is exactly where our campaign “Meet Your Future Self” for Neue Leben Versicherungen and their Sparkassen partners comes in. It aims to convey the importance of private retirement planning in a tangible way, engage people emotionally, and activate them, creating a long-term marketing and sales platform for our client rather than a short-term campaign.

Case Summary

For these admittedly ambitious goals, we brought the concept of aging into the present – with a “call through time.” In this immersive, interactive, and hyper-personalized experience, users can speak to their own “future self,” an aged version of themselves. Topics range from pets and hobbies to the weather – and the core question: What should I do today to ensure a good life later? This is possible in participating Sparkassen nationwide via life-size display installations and a mobile experience. To generate attention, it is supported by a broad media campaign and a variety of Sparkassen-owned touchpoints.

For the implementation, we relied on our guiding principle of the “triple chord.” It is based on the belief that truly good campaigns should always contribute to long-term business goals, rely on compelling storytelling, and use the right technologies.

Business Aspect: Why the “Future Self” Is More Than a Campaign

The word “retirement planning” was almost a taboo in the client’s sales context. For many consumers, it feels like an annoying dentist appointment to avoid. We needed an effective entry point to get people thinking about their future – and guide them into a consultation. Several business aspects were central:

• Goal: A sustainable platform instead of a short-term campaign

Instead of a typical “2-week campaign,” we wanted to create a lasting experience and marketing platform with its own sales funnel. In other words, a sales technology directly contributing to business goals, initiating consultations and sales over months and years. It was designed to be “digitally sustainable,” allowing continuous content and technical development.

The classic accompanying media communication serves as an “invitation to the experience” – rather than shouting, “Sign up for retirement planning now!”

• KPIs: Real-time measurability and optimization

Unlike traditional campaigns, whose success is often hard to measure, the “Future Self” provides clear KPIs for pre-defined key metrics, such as interaction duration, consultation bookings (how many leads are generated?), and even conversion rates (how many start the dialogue and later purchase retirement plans?). These and other pre-defined metrics are tracked and consolidated through a dedicated analytics system.

• Target Audience: Overcoming barriers with emotion and immersion

The campaign targets two central groups: young adults who have not yet arranged retirement plans, and consultation skeptics who have not been motivated to engage with the topic before.

In this sense, the “Future Self” also exemplifies a new marketing mindset focused on the client’s business success: campaigns become long-term products. It is also a counter-model to the faltering classic agency business model, which relies on short-term campaigns rather than sustainable implementation, strategy, and consulting.

Storytelling Aspect: Creating Emotion, Closeness, and Polarization

“How will I look when I’m older? How will I feel? Am I doing everything today for a good future?” A key success factor is addressing the three elements of immersive storytelling:

• Character: Users have a clear sense of identity and purpose
• Orientation: They know where they are, what they can do, and are guided by a mentor
• Motivation: They pursue a clear goal, strengthening their sense of purpose

Participants are thus a central part of the story. They interact with a character that is emotionally and visually close, while being guided and motivated. Unlike face filters, this future self reacts independently based on the exchange.

This interactivity drives stronger emotional activation, leading to better memory and brand connection. The experience stands out and is genuinely unique. At the same time, the idea is polarizing – another factor supporting memorability. The immersive personal connection makes retirement planning tangible and urgent.

Technology Aspect: A Mix of Innovation and Accessibility

Behind the intuitive, easily accessible experience is a sophisticated technical system combining seven AI models and multiple technologies, including generative AI for aged portraits and ChatGPT-like models for dialogue with the future self. This allows real-time animation, outfit changes, and appropriate backgrounds. The experience is optimized for life-size displays in Sparkassen and also works on mobile. The chat is a visually enhanced GPT4o model, guided by presets and selection buttons, as testing showed that many users prefer guidance over free-text input when first encountering an AI chat.

Our internal analytics system allows both the client and us to see, at a glance, what the campaign, experience, and sales deliver. Nearly every interaction is tracked live, enabling continuous optimization. Social media reactions and press coverage are collected and analyzed centrally.

Results and Further Development: Looking Ahead

The campaign has already delivered measurable results after just a few weeks:

• Interaction Duration: The average usage time is 4:25 minutes (across industries, the average website session is 40 seconds).
• Increased Consultations: Sparkassen report a significant rise in scheduled retirement consultations, especially compared to previous campaigns.
• Positive Media and Audience Response: In addition to trade media like Horizont, WirtschaftsWoche, ComputerBILD, and IT Finanzmagazin covered the campaign.

Since the “Future Self” is not a finished project but a platform, new topics, products, features, and expanded storylines are already in planning, integrating insights gained so far.

We are convinced: For CMOs and marketing managers, this case serves as an excellent example of how brands can create relevant experiences that deliver long-term impact – leaving behind traditional campaign models.