We are thrilled to share that Christian Living Communities has been awarded First Place in the national 2023 Aspect Marketing and Advertising Awards. CLC was recognized in the Print, Direct Mail & Billboard Campaign category for last year’s “Bring It” advertising campaign.

Presented by the Aging Media Network, the Aspect Marketing and Advertising Awards include participation from national, regional, and local companies, as well as creative agencies, making the awards a powerful benchmark for marketing and creative strategy in 2023. Ten judges from across the care continuum, with expertise in sales, marketing, public relations, and more, evaluated entries based on creativity, style and impact, quality, and goals and results.

About CLC’s Award-Winning Campaign

As an organization whose vision is “creating communities where aging is honored and celebrated,” Christian Living Communities is guided by the individuality, experiences, gifts, passions, and potential of older adults. Each resident is a citizen of their community, where they have influence and autonomy, and play a vital role in its overall well-being.

​In our 2022 “Bring It” advertising campaign, we wanted to illustrate how CLC communities are vibrant places because of the unique gifts of each individual resident and the ways they contribute to the fabric of their communities, wherever they are on their aging journeys.

​"This campaign was created specifically to convey that we see older adults as individuals with unique gifts, histories and characters," said Robin Visser, Director of Marketing for CLC. “Everyone benefits when older adults bring those gifts to our communities.”

Communities become dynamic and inclusive when residents can share all aspects of themselves and are valued for each of them. Inspired by current and former residents of CLC communities, the “Bring It” campaign celebrates how individuality and community living go hand in hand. ​

“For far too long, senior living advertising has been a reflection of the limiting stereotypes of aging. CLC believes that as we age, we should expect more than being a mere recipient of services. This ad campaign reflects the momentum that comes with age and the basic human need to continue finding meaningful purpose and a role to play as long as we’re living. Our goal is to not only bring people to our communities but to shift perceptions of aging just by seeing older people and senior living portrayed in a different light.”

- Jill Vitale-Aussem, CLC’s President and CEO

Additionally, we recognize that, in order to truly honor and celebrate aging, we have a responsibility to shift preconceived ideas around aging and address ageism within our broader society. ​

Disrupting Ageism and Ableism

Beyond representing community life and the culture of citizenship at CLC communities, the larger purpose of this campaign was to shift perceptions of and conversations around aging. This campaign encouraged viewers to challenge their own deeply held, internalized views and assumptions about aging by raising awareness of ageist and ableist language and replacing it with language that is empowering and more representative of older adults. ​

The Meaning Behind the Designs

This campaign was designed to have a stronger, bolder, and more direct feel than the muted and care-oriented images seen in typical retirement community advertising. Focused on the faces and expressions of five older adults, direct eye contact provides a sense of "seeing" the individual with their unique story, strengths, and personalities. By representing a variety of abilities, this campaign asserted that disability or use of a medical aid does not minimize one’s influence in their community.

“From the strong portraits to the vibrant colors, every visual decision was made to promote engagement and disrupt the expected soft and vulnerable image of older adults in advertisements,” shared Kathryn Swezy, Senior Graphic Designer for CLC.

The ad copy challenged ageist and ableist language often used in relation to older adults, and counters it with language that is a truer representation of individuals’ experiences, character, and aspirations.

Dr. Amy Dore, CLC Board Chair and Professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver, shared this campaign in her sophomore level Aging and Society course as an example of an organization positively depicting older adults. Dr. Dore shared, "This course is typically the first time [students] acknowledge how they play a role in ageism. After this lecture, they are proud to know there is a local organization working hard to represent our elders in a positive light!"