Author: Derek Dunham

Studies show that seniors who read stay mentally sharper and have a lower risk of dementia. But the truth about their reading habits is surprising.

According to a Pew Research study, only 70% of seniors have read a book in the last year, compared to 79% of millennials.

If your community library is appealing and well stocked, it could encourage more residents to read on a regular basis.  Below are some affordable suggestions to help make your library more inviting.

1. Be creative about book donations. Book fairs, garage sales, resident donations, and organizations like Better World Books are all good sources.
2. Recruit volunteers—especially former librarians. They can lead other volunteers and get your library into shape.
3. Build community partnerships. Trading donations and cross-promoting literary events with your local library can be mutually beneficial.
4. Hold a unique fundraising event. One Texas community held a highly successful three-day book festival complete with local authors.
5. Get inspiration. Check Pinterest and other sites to see the innovative ideas other libraries have used.

What do many of the trends we’ve spotted lately have in common? They all do one important thing: nurture ties among people and communities.

1. Connecting to Generations: Avanti Senior Living brainstormed with kids to create meals, programs and events just for them.

2. Connecting to the Community: Smart design draws in locals through community centers, gyms, art galleries and restaurants, all of which are open to the public.

3. Connecting to Safety: Residents at Episcopal Senior Communities wear pendants that connect them to the staff via wifi, so they feel safe anywhere on campus.

4. Connecting to Discovery: “The Magic Table,” created by Dutch start-up, Active Cues, and reported in Mintel, allows residents to interact with words, images and games beamed down on a table from a smart projector.

5. Connecting to Nature: A multisensory immersion environment in The Goodman Group’s memory care unit includes plant walls, ocean scents and star-like lighting.

How does your organization help people connect?

How would you complete the sentence: “Getting older is getting better because ______.”? That’s the question we have been asking friends of ours to spotlight the 2015 White House Conference on Aging, which took place earlier this month.

So far, we’ve gotten some interesting answers, including:

Getting older is getting better because …

…my fishing license is free!

…I am healthier.

…I get to spend time with grandchildren.

…I’ve learned to cherish the little things.

…my newly discovered diet makes me feel better.

…every experience I have builds on the one before it.

The White House has held a conference on aging every decade since the 1960s. The 2015 Conference is an opportunity to look ahead to the issues that will shape the landscape for older Americans in the next decade. Some important issues that will be discussed at the conference are retirement security, healthy aging, long-term services and support, and elder justice.

We’d love to hear how you’d complete the sentence: “Getting older is getting better because ______.” You can tweet your answer to us at @varsitybranding. For more information about the conference click here.

When we’re working with a client on a potential brand position, we ask three questions: Is it true? Is it unique? And is it compelling? All three of those qualities need to come together for a brand to work its hardest. In previous posts, I covered true, unique and compelling in detail. A quick recap:

• True: The claim you’re making must be true. Otherwise, people may try your product—but they won’t buy it again. Some examples of brands that didn’t live up to their advertising: the Ford Edsel, Surge soda and WOW Chips.

• Unique: The Unique Selling Proposition (USP) first discussed in the ‘40s still holds true today. It’s critical to find something that makes your product truly different. It’s all about that one promise that no one else in the market can make.

• Compelling: Last but not least, if a proposition is true and unique, but not compelling to customers, they won’t be moved to act. How can we be sure our promise is on track? Research. Research. Research. We should never assume we know what consumers think before checking in with them.

True. Unique. Compelling. The right brand position will be all three.

In the words of David Ogilvy, “The most important decision is how to position your product.” But how do we make that decision? When we’re developing a brand position, we always measure it by three criteria: It has to be true, it has to be unique and it has to be compelling. In this post, I’ll cover “compelling.”

A brand promise can be true and unique, but if consumers don’t care about it, then you won’t make any sales. So, how do we find out—before your message is plastered all over the marketplace—if it’s compelling to your customers?

By doing research. Lots of it. This is especially important in senior living, where the media constantly tells us what the next generation wants and needs. We can’t just paint this demographic with a broad brush. We need to know what prospective customers in your market want.

That’s where interviews, focus groups and other check-ins become really important. Sometimes clients don’t think they need to talk to consumers because they already know what they’ll say. But we can find nuggets of great value amidst the things we already know. And these insights can help craft a message that customers find truly compelling.

When our team is working with a client to develop a brand position, we run it through a three-part filter and ask: Is it true? Is it unique? And is it compelling? In this post, I’ll cover “unique,” and why it’s so important to land on a unique selling proposition (USP).

The USP is a concept developed by advertising legend Rosser Reeves for Ted Bates back in the ‘40s. Quite simply, it means finding the one promise you can make that the competition can’t.

The USP is as relevant today as it was back then. In fact, Michael Porter put a twist on the USP with his philosophy, “Aim to be unique, not the best.” At Varsity, we agree with that thinking. Our team is always searching for that core truth that makes a client unique in the marketplace.

It’s not easy to find a benefit that separates your organization from the rest, but it’s critical to do so. That uniqueness doesn’t have to be related to a physical structure or amenities. It can be intangible, like an attitude, a personality or an entire culture.

Even when you find a brand position that’s true and unique, it still won’t connect with your customers unless they find it compelling. I’ll cover that in a future post.

Advertising great Bill Bernbach said, “The most powerful element in advertising is the truth.”

If you make a promise about your organization, it should be something that can’t be disputed when people walk through your doors. The promise can be aspirational or even transformational, but you have to live up to what you’re claiming in the marketplace.

For instance, you wouldn’t want to say you sell a safe car if it’s vulnerable in rear-end collisions, like the Ford Pinto was. As Jerry Della Femina said, “There is a great deal of advertising that is much better than the product. When that happens, all that will do is put you out of business faster.”

When we’re looking for insights about an organization, we start on the inside and work our way out. Our clients are the best ones to tell us about their culture. They can share the truths they’ve learned about their organization, from mission, vision and values to current and future services and goals.

Along with being true, your promise also needs to be unique and compelling. I’ll cover those qualities in future posts.

Medical expenses are the leading cause of bankruptcy in the U.S. As the Boomer generation hits retirement age, paying for healthcare will only get more challenging. So what’s the solution?

Some people turn to crowdfunding to fill in the gaps that Medicare and Social Security leave. The medical category is growing exponentially on sites like GoFundMe. According to a recent article in Time, “Medical, Illness and Healing” is GoFundMe’s most popular section, bringing in 26% of all donations. In 2014, it helped raise $147 million for medical costs, up from $6 million in 2012.

Crowdfunding does have drawbacks, especially for members of the 65 and over crowd, who often suffer from common chronic conditions of aging, not exotic diseases. According to a 2014 Georgia Tech study, showing that a condition is rare or unique drives people to donate. And in a New York Times story, a healthcare expert said, “The need for geriatric care is so far and wide that it’s hard to draw out interest.”

Some families with older relatives, having run out of options, feel they have no other choice but to ask for donations via crowdfunding. But what’s it like to be on the receiving end of these heartfelt electronic pleas? ?

In one case we know of, an entire group of extended family and friends received emails with a link to a crowdfunding site. One branch of the family was facing major financial expenses for their father, an elderly man with serious health issues. Because the father’s healthcare expenses had decimated his funds, his children felt they had no other option but to ask for contributions through the crowdfunding site. They plan to care for their father at home, and part of the donated money will go toward making the house wheelchair accessible.

Upon receiving the emails, the potential donors felt sympathetic to the situation, knowing how difficult it was for the man’s children to reach out. Still, the request caused a few ripples of controversy, as many of the family and friends were dealing with their own serious financial challenges. They pulled together and raised some money, but the man’s children are still short of their goal.

That’s not uncommon. Although some people are lucky enough to raise thousands of dollars through crowdfunding, most campaigns do not go viral and most pledges come from the user’s personal network of family and friends. The average amount raised at GoFundMe is just $1,126. Then, there are taxes to deal with, the site fee and the risk that the insurance company will deduct the amount received from its part of the payment.

For many people, crowdfunding is not a magic bullet. But, with hundreds of sites out there and more popping up all the time, it looks like it’s here to stay.

As healthcare expenses keep rising as our population ages, it seems that our inboxes may not only be clogged with medical bills, but with crowdfunding appeals.

Once again, Varsity participated in the LeadingAge PEAK Leadership Summit, which was held this March in Washington, D.C. And, once again, key leaders across the field of aging services gathered for lively discussions and to share ideas about the future of our industry.

We wanted to share a few key themes we heard in our conversations:

Shaping tomorrow’s leaders: Pivoting off the national dialogue around Larry Minnix’s retirement, we all need to nurture the next generation of talent.

Embracing a new model for growth and stability: In the midst of reform, providers need to think beyond traditional approaches and the status quo. The ones who succeed will be strategic and innovative in how they navigate the evolving marketplace.

Identifying nontraditional partnerships: In an age where technology is making partnerships more accessible, and the field of aging services is demanding fresh ways of thinking, providers who seek innovative partnerships will uncover new opportunities for sustained success.

Defining an industry through the NameStorm Project: The 35-year-old term, “CCRC,” has placed the emphasis squarely on “care” and “retirement.” Varsity is proud to be a partner in this LeadingAge/Mather LifeWays initiative to explore a fresh moniker for the field of aging services.

Our team would welcome the opportunity to discuss these insights or to simply begin exploring the right questions that will lead to solid strategies for your community’s continued success.

“What’s in a name?” This line from Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” has sparked a debate that has lasted for centuries. How important is a name—whether you’re a person, a business or a Continuing Care Retirement Community?

According to a Forbes article, four signs of a great business name are that you can pronounce it, it’s not too long, it’s straightforward, and it’s catchy. “Continuing Care Retirement Community” falls short on at least two of those fronts.

That’s one reason for “CCRC NameStorm.” In this national study, a task force is researching perceptions of the label “Continuing Care Retirement Community” and investigating alternative wording that would describe our communities more accurately—and appealingly. Varsity is on the NameStorm task force, along with LeadingAge, Mather Lifeways, GlynnDevins, SB&A, Brooks Adams Research, and Love & Co.

In the NameStorm study, quantitative and qualitative research is being conducted across the country with CCRC residents, prospects and staff as well as the community at-large.

If you plan on going to LeadingAge PEAK in Washington, D.C., March 16-18, 2015, we encourage you to attend a special session about CCRC NameStorm: “What’s in a Name: a Look at the CCRC Label,” which will provide insights on the current progress of this study.

The term “Continuing Care Retirement Community” was coined quite a few years ago when this type of organization was just taking shape. Now the senior living industry is seeing the next generation of retirees react negatively to an idea of a “care” facility.

I’m sure you have experienced that negative reaction, just as we at Varsity have. Part of the issue is that the CCRC label is focused on only one piece of the story—the care piece. It’s easy for the active Boomer retiree to say, “this isn’t for me.”

As part of CCRC NameStorm, we have conducted focus groups with prospective and current resident groups at Homestead Village, a community in the heart of Lancaster County in central PA. We’re thankful to our very good clients in one of the country’s most densely populated CCRC markets for opening their doors and sharing their honest opinions. So far, we’ve found that people are excited about the possibility of a name change, but it’s a change that needs to be carefully considered. (Remember Radio Shack becoming “The Shack”?)

This will be an ongoing discussion, and it will certainly be an interesting one. We hope you can make it for the session at LeadingAge. If not, check back on the Varsity blog. We’ll be continuing to post the progress of the NameStorm study.