New Zealand’s largest retirement village operator, Ryman Healthcare, and brand experience agency VMLY&R have joined forces to bring a fun, eye-opening campaign to the public, with the motive to reset expectations of retirement life.
Featuring the talents of 13 Ryman residents, the ‘Ryman Pioneers’ campaign boasts the energy and spirit of people in their 70s and 80s, proving there is much more to being retired than people think.
The quirky campaign showcases 80-year-old fashionista Priscilla, Audrey the ballerina aged 84 and guitar-playing Ross who is 75, amongst many other talented retirees who prove they are still young at heart.
The commercial begins by reading, “Retire means withdraw, retreat, pull back. Not this generation,” which enforces the campaign’s message from the get-go.
Ryman Healthcare’s chief sales and marketing officer, Debbie McClure says the standard retirement advertising usually depicts retiree’s as old and one dimensional.
“We know this isn’t true and we were determined to show the true spirit and dignity of our residents. They may be retired, but they are far from retiring,” McClure says.
VMLY&R’s campaign pitch was sparked after an accumulation of research regarding the life of Ryman Healthcare residents. With 36 villages across New Zealand and Victoria, housing 11,400 residents, it was important for Ryman’s message to be heard.
VMLY&R executive creative director, Kim Pick, says working with the Ryman residents was a delight, and the team is proud to show the truth of what it means to be retired.
“The campaign was created in order to do a better job of representing people of all ages, with respect and avoiding clichés.
“This is the generation who reinvented everything, and now it’s retirement’s turn,” says Pick.
Ryman Healthcare has been innovators within New Zealand and Australian market for the past 30 years and consistently deliver a customer experience that goes above and beyond the needs of their residents. This campaign only reinforces that.
