Making Senior Living Messaging Stick
At the Senior Care Sales & Marketing Summit (SMASH) 2024, we showed how consumer research can transform senior living communications - revealing what today's 50+ audiences want to hear (and what they don't)
The Challenge
Senior living marketing often relies on familiar, feel-good language, but that doesn't always connect with today's evolving audience. To demonstrate how research can elevate brand messaging, SMASH (Senior Care Sales & Marketing Summit) invited Morning Light Strategy to present a real-world case study showing what works, what doesn't, and how insight can lead to more compelling communications.
What We Did
We conducted a multi-phase study, including both quantitative and qualitative, among 50+ adults, with a focus on both Gen X and Baby Boomers. Using our Future50 Growth Framework, we learned about consumer needs and wants, co-created new positionings directly with consumers, and quantitatively measured their performance against current positioning.
Key Insights Delivered
Performance scorecards to benchmark emotional resonance, relevance, and differentiation.
4 Strategic principles to guide language tone and emotional connection.
9 innovation platforms, from "Pet Friendly --> Pet Family" to "Beyond Bingo".
Actionable innovation tools to improve web copy, sales collateral, and campaigns
The Impact
Our findings were shared live at SMASH 2024, offering senior living marketers a practical framework for testing and improving communications. The project provided not only performance scorecards and message development principles, but also a set of 9 innovation platforms to guide future storytelling and brand distinction.
"Pets are family, so I'd need a space that feels like a home for both of us - enough room for me and my dog.
Study Respondent