Building a National Senior Living Brand from the Ground Up | Experience Senior Living

Problem

In 2022, NexCore Group had a vision to create a new kind of senior living company, one that challenged traditional perceptions of aging through hospitality, wellness, culinary, and elevated lifestyle experiences. Before a single community was open, the organization needed a visual identity, but also a brand strategy capable of supporting long-term national growth.

The challenge was to define the new senior living organization's purpose, create a scalable brand architecture, and develop a marketing foundation that could support multiple community experiences from art, music, high-end diverse culinary, fitness, hospitality, and most importantly, a sense of community while maintaining a cohesive corporate identity.

Beginning in 2022, ShuBu Creative Group embarked on a multi-year partnership with NexCore Group to help support the development of the Experience Senior Living brand, including the sub-brands under the umbrella and the foundational assets.

Solution

Phase 1 | Brand Strategy & Architecture (2022)

ShuBu Creative Group began the engagement by leading an immersive brand strategy workshop with ESL's executive leadership. Through collaborative discovery sessions, we facilitated leadership workshops to define the organization's vision, positioning, target audiences, values, and long-term growth strategy.

That strategic foundation led to the creation of Experience Senior Living (ESL). We presented a “house of brands” positioning and used the Marriott as an example, showing a strategy that would hold a scalable brand architecture designed to support future expansion. We developed brand identities for:

The Reserve

ESL’s premier luxury collection, designed around elevated hospitality and refined living.

The Gallery

A vibrant lifestyle brand inspired by art, music, creativity, and culture.

Sancerre

A socially driven brand centered on connection, engagement, and community.

The Crossings

A welcoming, approachable brand offering a more traditional senior living experience.

As the brands evolved, additional agencies were brought in to further expand portions of the visual identities for select collections. ShuBu remained an integral strategic partner throughout the process, ensuring continuity while continuing to guide the overall brand vision and marketing strategy.

Phase 2 | Bringing the Brand to Life (2023–2024)

With the brand architecture established, ShuBu helped transform the strategy into a comprehensive marketing platform that could support community development nationwide. This included:

• Website design

• Collateral - brochures, business cards, vehicle wraps, etc. 

• Digital Marketing 

• Public Relations 

Phase 3 | Growth, Marketing & Public Relations (2025–2026)

As new communities prepared to open, ShuBu expanded its role to include integrated marketing strategy, public relations, grand opening campaigns, professional photography, lead generation optimization, and fractional marketing leadership. The team also supported executive visibility, agency coordination, website optimization, and marketing initiatives that helped strengthen lead quality and occupancy across the portfolio.

Impact

Marketing:

Over the course of the partnership, ShuBu helped transform Experience Senior Living from an early-stage concept into a nationally recognized senior living organization with a scalable brand platform supporting communities across the United States. 

There are now properties in Colorado, Maryland, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Virginia. 

Key accomplishments include:

• Created the Experience Senior Living master brand through a comprehensive brand strategy process.

• Developed four differentiated community brands that continue to support portfolio growth.

• Built a scalable brand architecture that enabled national expansion.

• Designed marketing systems and creative assets supporting seven communities.

• Produced more than 500 digital advertisements in addition to websites, brochures, signage, sales collateral, and other branded materials.

• Served as a long-term strategic branding, marketing, and public relations partner throughout the organization's growth.

Public Relations:

One of the partnership's most successful initiatives was the Grand Opening of The Gallery at Fort Collins, where ShuBu led all public relations and media relations with just 2.5 months to execute. The team developed the PR strategy, built media and influencer relationships from scratch, coordinated political and professional referral outreach, and managed all on-site media engagement.

The campaign generated measurable results, including:

• 900+ press release publication pickups

• 550+ grand opening attendees

• Seven major earned media placements

• Coverage in Colorado Real Estate Journal, McKnight's Senior Living, Senior Housing News, iAdvance Senior Care, The Colorado Gazette, The Coloradoan, and Fort Collins City Lifestyle

• More than 100 targeted media contacts developed

• More than 20 industry and referral partner relationships established

• Community inquiries increased 132% compared to March

• Occupancy increased from 21% to 27%

• Website traffic surged during the campaign, with 18,000 active users and 86,000 website events

In just 2.5 months, ShuBu built the media, political, and professional referral foundation that often takes six months or longer to establish, positioning The Gallery at Fort Collins as Northern Colorado's premier luxury senior living destination while strengthening the visibility of both Experience Senior Living and NexCore Group.