C-2: Branding as Storytelling: Interior Design Strategies for Better Marketing Results

NAB – 1 Hour | Wednesday, June 5th. 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM

Session Description:

It’s no secret that great looking interiors make marketing easier. However, properly executed branding will distinguish a Life Plan Community in an increasingly crowded and competitive marketplace. This session will focus on interior design strategies to tell the story of your community and local history for a unique brand identity that will truly resonate with consumers.

Many sponsors today are redefining their communities in response to shifting markets and consumer priorities. Consequently, marketing messaging, imagery, logo, and even interior spaces must also be reimagined. A critical, sometimes neglected aspect of brand identity is making sure that the community itself is a true reflection of your marketing materials.

Strategies for creating brand awareness and maintaining consistency within all aspects of the community will be explored. An executive leader of NJ Life Plan Community, Medford Leas, will share insights about working with design professionals to create brand experiences based on strategic vision, as well as input from residents and prospects. Presenters will detail how storytelling through design has impacted branding and marketing efforts. An interior design professional will share how working closely with marketing teams and integrating the work of local artisans has fostered meaningful connections for residents at communities throughout the country. And a Philadelphia-based marketing consultant will discuss the need for true differentiation within the senior living marketplace and how this can be executed by NJ/DE providers to enhance their brand and stand out against the competition.

The presenters will review a checklist of branding and design criteria for both new construction and updating current spaces. This will include senior-friendly design strategies, as well as how to integrate brand standards and regional relevance to reinforce the community-wide brand and the unique character and culture of your community.

Learning Objectives:

Implement interior design standards as a critical component of your community’s brand identity.

Consider opportunities for marketing and design professionals to collaborate to share the unique story of your community and the surrounding region through a consistent brand experience.

Apply a checklist of interior design criteria for senior-friendly design strategies that integrate brand standards and regional relevance.

Speakers:

Matthew Barley, Interior Designer, RLPS Architects 

Matthew Barley is an interior designer at RLPS Architects He received his master’s degree in interior architecture from Rhode Island School of Design. Prior to becoming an interior designer, Matt had over ten years of experience as a design build contractor where he specialized in custom homes, bespoke furniture and staircases and artistic design installations. Over the past six years, Matt has been the lead interior designer working closely with owners to craft interior spaces that speak directly to brand, quality of materials and connections to nature. Matt has an aptitude for creating subtle stories through interior finishes that can work overtly or as a subtext that communities can reference as specific reasons for designs. He approaches the design process as a craftsman and loves getting into the construction details of how a custom bar or reception desk is carefully designed and constructed. Just by looking at it, he can determine if a chair was hand or machine made. Matt has a deep love of history and can connect architectural and design history to every element, from millwork profiles to furnishings.

Jennifer Zdunczyk, Director of Dining Services & Corporate Compliance Official – Food Safety, Medford Leas

Jen is a hospitality professional with nearly 40 years of experience in the Senior Living Services sector. In 2007, Jen joined the Senior Leadership Team at Medford Leas as the Division Director for Dining Services and has served as the community’s Compliance & Ethics Program Official for the past 12 years. Medford Leas is a Quaker-sponsored, CARF-accredited CCRC with campuses in Medford, NJ and Lumberton, NJ– approximately twenty miles southeast of downtown Philadelphia, PA. Medford Leas is currently engaged in multi-year redevelopment project, to include interior and exterior renovations and whole-campus improvements. Medford Leas is also home to the Barton Arboretum.

Jeremy Johnson, Creative Director, Levlane

Jeremy Johnson’s strategic approach is rooted in his experience-rich understanding of advertising, marketing, and design — his 20+ years embedded in the senior living niche market have also allowed him to develop a deep understanding of this vertical. For more than two decades, he’s created thoughtful, effective ads, websites, direct mail, marketing materials, broadcast, and video. He also spends a great deal of time on site with clients, getting to know them and their audience. The communications pieces he creates resonate with the real world: They’re respectful, insightful and compelling. As leader of a creative team, he expects his team to be sensible, well informed about their clients, and capable of exceptional bursts of inspired, smile-inducing concepts.