A New Take on Aged Care Advertising

South Australian aged care provider ACH Group has flipped the script on aged care advertising with its new brand campaign ‘Being yourself never gets old’.

The integrated campaign is spearheaded by a 30-second film featuring the vision of older people engaging in their favourite activities including lifting weights in the gym, creating art, and on a road trip through Adelaide’s foothills.

The creative is the work of Adelaide marketing agency, Simple.

ACH Group CEO, Frank Weits, said insights from focus groups highlighted that older people wanted more contemporary and authentic depictions of themselves in the promotion of aged care services.

“They told us they don’t see themselves as ‘old’ and want to continue doing the activities they love or be inspired to learn new things,” he said.

Simple Creative Director, Pat Parisi, said, “As we get older we value our independence above all else, yet most campaigns for aged care services show older people in submissive roles and focus on the losses they are experiencing. ‘Being yourself never gets old’ seeks to change this narrative by showing older people engaging in their favourite activities, empowering them to proudly be themselves.”

Simple Managing Director, David Stocker, observed that advertising across the aged care sector has traditionally all looked the same.

"We saw from research that aged care advertising blends in people's minds. Consumers struggle to recall individual ads and can rarely attribute them to a corresponding brand. The aim was to produce a campaign that would positively resonate with ACH's Group target audience and be remembered for all the right reasons,” he said.

“Music is a key aspect of the campaign; it helps the audience recall the ad and stirs emotions. The only way we could sonically express the feeling of the campaign was by crafting it ourselves, with our team writing and composing the soundtrack.”

Mr Weits said it was vital that the new campaign aligned with ACH Group’s long-standing values and purpose.

“ACH Group has a proud history of challenging ageist stereotypes, celebrating the life experiences of older people, and supporting them to stay in control of their own life,” he said.

“We wanted to create a feeling of authenticity and cast real people with rich life experiences and big personalities to help the audience connect and rewrite what aging can look like.”

The voiceover at the end ‘you do you, we’re here for the rest’ introduces the full range of ACH Group’s service offerings: home care, social, allied health, retirement living, and residential care.

“While older South Australians continue to live their chosen life, ACH Group is here for the rest,” Mr Weits said.

“This could be meeting new people on a social experience; staying active or regaining their fitness through health and wellbeing services; supporting customers to live independently in their own homes; or supporting them to live well in their new home in retirement living or residential care.”

The campaign has launched across TV, digital, and out-of-home media.

Click here to find out more about ACH Group