The senior living landscape is changing faster than ever before. Between AI technologies, evolving digital platforms and shifting consumer behaviors, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the noise. That’s exactly why Love & Company created a new role at our agency: VP of marketing innovation.
I’m Dana Pyles, and I’m excited to share how this role will help our clients, and senior living at large, not just keep up with change, but stay ahead of it.
Responding To A New Marketing Landscape
The origins of my marketing innovation position started at the end of 2023 and throughout 2024 and 2025, as we responded to significant changes in lead generation for our clients. Google was making dramatic changes to its algorithms without a predictable schedule, and virtually every month brought significant factors like AEO, GEO and a host of other emerging technologies that impact how our clients are found online and attract qualified leads.
We realized the marketplace is shifting and changing so rapidly that Life Plan Communities need more than expertise in digital marketing, content marketing and the various specialties; they need someone equipped to connect the dots among the changes occurring in all those areas and how learnings can impact all aspects of marketing strategy, not just digital. That’s why we created this new position.
This role exists to help connect the dots across strategy, bring forward practical approaches to brand-new technologies and create opportunities.
Helping Marketing Leaders Cut Through The Noise
I know Life Plan Community marketing directors constantly get calls from media buyers suggesting new things, and there are always new opportunities to keep up with in your online research. It’s my job to sift through all of those various opportunities and create more practical approaches as they relate specifically to senior living.
I look at the big picture of what all the latest innovations and opportunities in the wider digital marketing world and distill them down to these questions: How does this make sense for building census at Life Plan Communities? What creates visibility for senior living communities in this brand-new framework? How can Love & Company clients get the most out of their brand awareness strategies?
Here’s what’s important to understand: I’m not just pulling information together and passing it along. I’m sifting through and curating what is helpful versus what’s nice to know, but not necessarily applicable to strategy. Also, I look for what’s something to keep an eye on, but not necessarily something we need to test right now. My charge is to use discernment on behalf of our clients about how to improve visibility for our communities so that they can increase move-ins, build wait lists and fine-tune ROI.
Better Use of Existing Budgets
One of the key outcomes will be opportunities to leverage new AI strategies or technologies in ways that benefit your lead generation, so you’re more visible to audiences than ever before. And here’s the key: We’re not trying to add to your budget. We’re just using the current budget in a better, more thoughtful, strategic way based on how things are changing. For example, I’ve been finding ways to realign client assets that are already in the market, and getting them heightened visibility to create more opportunities for people to ask for a tour or request more information.
A New Essential, Not An Optional Add-on
In our minds, innovation navigation is now so fundamental and so foundational to best practices that we provide it in every client partnership that involves our strategy and/or branding consultation. When we’re a full marketing partner, I bring tailored innovation insights to our quarterly and annual planning. For clients doing smaller projects, like an employer brand refresh, for example, I can help our team with ideas on how to best understand your target audience through empathy mapping or the latest innovations that lead to headlines and messaging that resonate in a slightly different way than you’ve done in the past.
And for all our clients, including our market intelligence and strategic services clients, I provide an exclusive emerging trends e-newsletter to help promote each organization’s professional development.
Great News For Full Communities: A Future-Focused Strategy To Stay Healthy
Many of our clients are enjoying census stability and building wait lists, but are also asking how to stay “future-proof.” Love & Company’s creation of this role is our answer to that question. This is our future-focused strategy to help our clients continue to grow and sustain success. We designed my new role to equip communities to integrate the best strategies into their own approach within the confines of their budget.
Adaptive Readiness in Action
You may remember our Senior Vice President Amy Brodie wrote about embracing adaptive readiness at the C-suite level: Why your community needs a “testing budget.” This role is 100% related to that recommendation, because we’re in a situation where things have changed so significantly over the last two years that there does need to be a little bit of testing the waters. Each market is affected by new opportunities slightly differently. Just in the same way that somebody would ask a question differently in the Midwest versus the West or East Coast about senior living, you need to be mindful about how people are adopting technology specifically in your market.
Let’s Navigate This Together
The landscape is changing, but you don’t have to figure it out alone. Love & Company is committed to helping senior living organizations navigate innovation in a way that makes sense for each unique community’s market and goals. Because at the end of the day, leveraging the constant changes in today’s digital world isn’t achieved by chasing every shiny new object. It’s about understanding what’s happening, determining what matters and implementing strategies that drive real results.
Let’s move forward together—thoughtfully, strategically and with confidence. If you’re wondering if it’s time to evaluate how your marketing program is leveraging AI technologies, new digital platforms and changing consumer behavior, reach out to schedule a 30-minute consultation with Wayne Langley.
