Plan B™
The Agency Alternative
The Mather
Challenge
The Mather, a senior living development in the heart of downtown Evanston challenged Plan B to develop a creative approach that would speak to seniors who are preparing for the next phase in their active lives.
Currently in the pre-construction phase of development, after 2 years of contentious re-zoning applications and requests, the Mather needed to position itself as a destination for active, forward thinking seniors who were ready to enter a new phase in their lives. It also realized that it needed to speak to its senior audience in an entirely new way – a way that respected seniors' life accomplishments and spoke directly about the fears and challenges of aging.
Insight
Plan B recognized the complexity of the decision-making process that “emerging” older adults are faced with at this phase in their lives. We also realized that most other approaches to this audience, made by other retirement living facilities, fail to connect with the audience both on a rational and emotional level.
Photographs and copy depicting shiny, happy seniors, walking the 18th fairway while living in heaven’s waiting room neither respect this audience’s mindset nor speak to their fears and concerns about leaving their lifelong homes. In order to truly reach this group, Plan B needed to craft a brand voice that would resonate with authenticity and carefully guide people through the decision-making process.
Solution
Plan B recognized that a complex challenge could be solved with an elegantly simple solution. Who would be better to connect with this audience than one of their own? So with some careful research and extensive personal interviews, Tom DeMinth, and ex-Executive Creative Director from Y&R and a senior living on Chicago’s north shore was chosen to write and star in the campaign. We positioned The Mather as a forward-thinking solution to the lifestyle desires of today’s “emerging” older adults. A campaign, featuring a real-life character that is currently going through this decision-making process, documenting his thoughts, feelings and choices for all to see
From the direct mail to the ads to the PBS documentary that will cover the entire process, Tom can speak to this audience in a relevant fashion because he is the audience and he’s going through the same process that they are. Simple, really.