A new chapter for a favourite campaign
Every few years our long-standing client RetireAustralia embarks on a campaign to drive awareness and interest in their broadacre retirement villages, which form the majority of their property asset portfolio. Each campaign has featured a key spokesman and brand ambassador. In recent years, NWO introduced a new campaign element—a stunning vintage red MG sports car representing the freedom and reward of retirement. This campaign was the latest instalment and required some additional strategic and creative thinking as the target demographic was broadened and introduced new sociological factors.
Challenge
Established campaigns have the advantage of built-up recognition and equity. But each new chapter requires a freshness and added flavour to help it cut through. This was the primary challenge with this project. Additionally, the brief for this campaign had a sizable shift in the target demographic. The baby boomer generation were included for the first time, representing a lateral change in approach in regard to key messaging and appeal factors. These challenges were exciting opportunities to lift and refresh the campaign structure in a dynamic and revitalised way.
The spark
All decisions regarding retirement and retirement are critical and different for every person. But for the incoming baby boomer target market, extensive research had revealed that four key factors were highly influential in their decision-making around retirement living: Independence, Health and Wellbeing, Community, Purpose and Passion.
To that end, our strategic approach was to develop messaging that spoke to each of these themes in their own way. Using insights garnered out of the research and through the product and service offering of RetireAustralia, we were able to shift our strategy from the more traditional care and support platform to a more modern retirement living approach that would resonate more powerfully with the baby boomer target market.
Creative
Our 2025 campaign came together under the creative platform of;
At our vintage.
This theme was a gentle reference to our hero vintage MG sports car, but also allowed us an entry point to recognising the different influence factors of the baby boomer generation compared to other age or demographic groups. Our strong belief was that creative impact would be achieved by celebrating what retirement meant to our audience. It’s not necessarily a slow down and take it easy time … it’s a new era for their lives that comes with more freedoms and possibilities.
Our aim was to highlight the active lifestyles that could be facilitated and fuelled by a RetireAustralia retirement village, and showcase the lively personalities of our residents. The creative executions feature scenarios such as stand up paddle boarding, boxercise classes and communal car washing as a way to bring our messaging to life. A little humour was also introduced through some subtle comparisons at how other generations choose to spend their time.
TVCs and online videos form the critical component of the delivered assets for Established Communities campaigns. Whereas previous campaigns relied on a hero 30 second video/TVC and shorter cutdowns, one of the first creative decisions we made was to reverse that model and instead produce 4 x 15 second videos (one for each message theme as per strategy) and then a compilation 30 second video.
Outcome
The campaign launched in late 2025 with a heavy investment in media activity. As an awareness campaign, monitoring of campaign results from enquiries in an ongoing process but early sales enquiry results are strong and encouraging.