Tag: marketing to older adults

The following is part one in a five-part series from Varsity Executive Creative Director Robinson Smith about storytelling and senior audiences.

Storytelling has always been central to human connection. But when it comes to reaching older adults, the psychology behind how stories are processed matters more than ever. For senior living communities and aging services brands, understanding how emotion, memory and trust shape storytelling can mean the difference between being noticed or ignored.

EMOTION DRIVES ATTENTION AND MEANING

Emotion is the entry point for storytelling at any age, but it becomes even more powerful for older adults. Research shows that seniors tend to prioritize emotionally meaningful information, especially stories that reinforce connection, purpose and reassurance. Messaging that focuses solely on features or logistics often falls flat. Stories that highlight relationships, dignity and lived experience create a stronger emotional hook and make messages easier to remember.

MEMORY IS BUILT THROUGH FAMILIARITY

Memory changes with age, but that doesn’t mean it weakens, it adapts. Older adults often process stories through association, drawing on past experiences and long-held values. That’s why storytelling that feels familiar, authentic and grounded in real life resonates more deeply. When senior living marketing reflects recognizable moments — family gatherings, personal milestones or everyday routines — it activates memory and creates emotional credibility.

This is where authentic storytelling becomes essential. Real voices, real stories and real outcomes help bridge the gap between message and memory.

TRUST IS THE FOUNDATION OF RESONANCE

Trust plays an outsized role in how seniors evaluate stories. Older audiences are highly attuned to authenticity and can quickly sense exaggeration or overpromising. Storytelling that feels transparent, respectful and grounded builds confidence over time. For senior living brands, trust isn’t built through flashy claims, it’s built through consistency, clarity and proof.

Using real residents, team members and families and telling stories that acknowledge both challenges and successes reinforces credibility and helps audiences feel understood rather than marketed to.

WHY STORYTELLING MATTERS MORE THAN EVER

Seniors are savvy consumers. They’re researching options, comparing experiences and seeking brands that align with their values. Storytelling that acknowledges emotional complexity, honors life experience and delivers clarity helps senior living communities stand out in a crowded marketplace.

When storytelling aligns with the psychological realities of aging, it doesn’t just inform, it connects.

FRESH PERSPECTIVE

Senior living brands that understand how emotion, memory and trust shape storytelling create messages that truly resonate. The opportunity isn’t louder marketing it’s smarter storytelling that reflects lived experience, builds confidence and drives meaningful connection.

A 93-year-old William Shatner stealing the spotlight in a Super Bowl commercial for Raisin Bran. A Toyota spot built around a quiet, emotional bond between a grandfather and his grandson. Before a single kickoff, this year’s Big Game ads are already sending a clear signal: aging isn’t being sidelined, it’s being centered. (The ads are also being tracked for America’s votes on Pavone Group’s national commercial poll, SpotBowl.) 

For senior living and aging services brands, that matters. These moments reflect a broader shift in how older adults are portrayed in culture. Not as an afterthought, but as vibrant, relevant and emotionally rich. To unpack what this means for marketers, we sat down with Robinson Smith, Varsity’s Executive Creative Director, to talk about Super Bowl advertising, representation and what brands still get wrong (and right) when marketing to older adults.

WHAT STANDS OUT TO YOU ABOUT SEEING WILLIAM SHATNER IN A SUPER BOWL AD AT 93?

It’s powerful because it’s normal. Shatner isn’t presented as fragile or inspirational, he’s just himself. Confident, funny, present. That’s what resonates. Older adults don’t want to be portrayed as exceptions or symbols. They want to see themselves as relevant participants in culture, not footnotes. That spot works because it doesn’t make age the punchline, it makes presence the point.

THE TOYOTA SPOT FOCUSES ON A GRANDFATHER AND GRANDSON. WHY DOES THAT KIND OF STORYTELLING WORK SO WELL?

Because it’s relational, not transactional. It’s not about age or features or milestone, it’s about connection. Those stories cut across generations. For senior living brands, that’s a reminder that we’re not just marketing to residents, we’re marketing to families. When you show aging as part of a shared story, not a separate one, people lean in emotionally.

WHAT DO SUPER BOWL ADS GET RIGHT ABOUT AGING THAT SENIOR LIVING MARKETING SOMETIMES MISSES?

They show life, not logistics. Super Bowl ads lead with emotion, personality and humanity. Senior living marketing often leads with amenities, floor plans and checklists. Older adults don’t wake up thinking about square footage. They think about purpose, connection and independence. The ads that work understand that, and trust the audience to feel first, then rationalize.

IS HUMOR STILL EFFECTIVE WHEN MARKETING TO OLDER ADULTS?

Absolutely! Older adults have a great sense of humor, especially about themselves. What doesn’t work is humor that talks down or relies on stereotypes. The best humor invites them in. It says, “You’re in on the joke.” Many Super Bowl advertisers understand that nuance better than most categories.

WHAT’S THE BIGGEST MISTAKE BRANDS MAKE WHEN TRYING TO BE ‘AGE-INCLUSIVE’?

They overcorrect. They either avoid age entirely or lean so hard into “senior” cues that it becomes limiting. Age-inclusive doesn’t mean ageless. It means being honest. Show real people, real energy, real complexity.

WHAT SHOULD SENIOR LIVING MARKETERS TAKE AWAY FROM THIS YEAR’S SUPER BOWL ADS?

That culture is giving us permission to evolve. The audience is ready. Families are ready. Older adults are already there. The brands that win won’t try to look younger, they’ll try to look more human. That’s the opportunity and it’s a big one.