Rebranding Recreation Clubs
Lina Ko February 19th, 2010
Following the playground for adults in London in my last post, here’s an idea for Canada as well.
According to the Calgary Herald, the marketing of the Greater Forest Lawn Senior Citizens Society as the Greater Forest Lawn 55-Plus Society indicates a whole new attitude. The official name of the Calgary club with the mention of Senior Citizens no longer reflects the vibrant and active lifestyle of many of its members. The word ‘senior’ scares a lot of people because some lucky baby boomers are starting to retire and they still want to play. Club activities range from card games and tai chi to ballroom dancing and floor curling. To further diversify the entertainment, the Society is working on establishing a computer course. For members wanting to get away from it all, the Society also puts on bus trips to fun destinations such as Las Vegas, New York City and others.
According to the Society’s administrator, a lot of people have misunderstandings that places like this are like a seniors’ residence. True enough, seniors’ residences have recreational activities too. The differentiation is in the marketing and the branding – try set up a recreation club catering to boomers who want to stay active and have fun and market it that way. The results will be different and the misconceptions will be addressed.
