September 17, 2024
In the retirement living and senior care industry, marketing often highlights luxury amenities and services. Immanuel, however, sets itself apart by embracing a more personal approach, focusing on the individual and their retirement experience rather than solely on the physical building.
Immanuel’s latest TV commercials showcase more than beautifully designed apartments or state-of-the-art amenities. Instead, they tell heartfelt stories about the human experience of aging, providing a deeper look into Immanuel’s values as a nonprofit leader in retirement living and senior care.
Joseph Brown, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, explains Immanuel’s direction for these commercials: “Our philosophy for TV commercials is not to show off our buildings or share apartment availability or discuss the amenities or services that we offer. We view TV as a way to elevate the conversation about retirement living and senior care.”
This belief is the foundation of Immanuel’s latest marketing push: storytelling rather than a sales pitch.
“We tell stories that make people happy or help them find comfort with loss or give them a chance to laugh during a process that is intimate and a little intimidating for everyone,” Joseph said. “These commercials are one chance to tell a visual story about how seniors deserve dignity, safety, and wellness in their retirement.”
The result of this vision is two TV commercials — titled Memories and Dinner Date. Filming was done on-site at two of Immanuel’s Signature Communities in Nebraska: The Landing in Lincoln and the Lakeside campus in Omaha.
These new commercials serve as a testament to Immanuel’s mission to go beyond bricks and mortar and instead focus on the human stories that define the senior care experience.
Karissa Birchem, Immanuel’s Multimedia Producer, said filming took place over two days. Each set of commercials included a 30-second, 15-second, and 6-second version. The first commercial, Memories, was filmed at Lakeside, and the second, Dinner Date, was filmed at The Landing.
Both commercials offer more than a glimpse into Immanuel’s physical spaces.
“Filming in our communities provided an authentic backdrop for the stories and allowed us to display a variety of locations,” Karissa said. With a familiar and natural setting, the commercials reflect Immanuel’s communities’ vibrant atmosphere.
Partnering with StoryFind Films, a local production company based in Lincoln, Immanuel embarked on a production that required significant, detailed coordination.
Cara Kerns, Immanuel’s Marketing Manager, described the effort that went into making these commercials: “When producing commercials of this scope and detail, it takes a large team of professionals, each focused on a specific role. This included a director, senior producer, associate producer, director of photography, first assistant camera, second assistant camera, gaffer, two grips, sound recordist, hair and make-up artist, wardrobe and production designer, and two production assistants.”
Beyond the team of professionals, Immanuel’s marketing department played an active role on set.
“During production days, our Immanuel marketing team was on-set managing the video village, where we provided real-time feedback to the director and producers throughout the filming process,” Cara said.
Their involvement didn’t stop there. The marketing team also captured behind-the-scenes photos and videos. Karissa pointed out that the commercials featured professional actors and incorporated actual Immanuel residents and employees in the background.
“It was important to incorporate Immanuel residents and staff, who can be spotted in the background of several scenes,” she said. “This provides a true representation of Immanuel and its people. It helped bring the scene to life and showcased the active and vibrant feel when entering our communities.”
Jameon Rush, Director of Marketing, said the first big challenge during the production was selecting and scheduling filming locations that could accommodate the cast, crew, and filming equipment.
“It was extremely important that we filmed our commercials in our Immanuel communities. However, filming in an active community naturally presents some roadblocks,” Jameon said. “Each of our Immanuel communities is home to numerous residents, and we made a conscious effort to be courteous when bringing in a crew and truckloads of equipment.”
Even with these challenges, the production remained on schedule and achieved its goals. By creating uplifting and authentic narratives, Immanuel is leading the way in how retirement living and senior care should be — emphasizing dignity, connection, and the joy of aging well.
Immanuel’s latest commercials are now being broadcast on live TV and digital services across markets in Omaha, Lincoln, and Des Moines. They can also be viewed below or on Immanuel’s YouTube channel.
