“How a retirement community ought to be”

-- Calvin Community, Des Moines, Iowa

Situation

Des Moines, Iowa-based Calvin Community, a not-for-profit continuing care retirement community built in 1965, was approaching its 40th Anniversary and preparing for a major remodeling. Calvin’s management needed a new marketing plan to increase occupancy in the community’s 400-unit independent
living, assisted living and skilled nursing facilities. Leaders called upon Hanser & Associates (H&A) to inform prospective residents about Calvin’s unique community.

PR Action

H&A created a long-term, comprehensive marketing plan to position Calvin as an ever-present positive example of “How a retirement community ought to be.” H&A staff worked alongside Calvin’s management team and board of directors to implement the plan, including highly visible 40th Anniversary events around the city, new Web site, marketing materials, quarterly newsletter and seeking news coverage in local media.

Results

With first-year tactics implemented, Calvin Community was featured in more than a dozen news articles in The Des Moines Register and other Des Moines-area media; residents and their families were re-energized to see “our community” featured in new media.

Also important, Calvin’s volume of inquiries and tours increased sharply.