Over 55s shine the spotlight on life minded living for bold new marketing campaign

Ingenia Lifestyle has launched a new resident-driven marketing campaign that challenges traditional marketing assumptions about over 55s. The campaign focuses on ‘life minded living’, emphasizing the active and vibrant lifestyles of residents rather than age-based narratives.

The announcement:

Ingenia Lifestyle has launched a bold new resident-driven marketing campaign, challenging the assumptions of over 55s communities with a focus on life minded living.

For decades, marketing to older Australians has relied on the same familiar tropes: downsizing, quiet retirement and age-defined messaging. But now Ingenia Lifestyle is challenging those assumptions with an innovative insight-led brand strategy that reflects how this demographic actually lives.

Ingenia’s new life minded positioning was launched as part of its 2026 Summer Campaign. It marks a deliberate shift away from age-based narratives and towards mindset, behaviour and lived experience.

The campaign is grounded in a simple but powerful truth: when it’s time to downsize, life doesn’t slow down – it finally becomes yours.

Rather than asking residents to fit a predefined “retirement” story, Ingenia’s marketing reflects how people are already living across its communities: prioritising wellbeing, social connection, flexibility and shared experiences.

The campaign is being rolled out nationally through TV, OOH, press and digital across owned and paid channels, with a deliberate focus on authenticity over traditional spokespeople. This includes articles and videos across News Corp Australia publications and on-location appearances on Channel 7’s Sunrise and The Morning Show, where real Ingenia residents shared their stories in their own words – reinforcing the campaign’s insight that lived experience resonates more strongly than age-based messaging.

The work represents the first major collaboration between Ingenia Lifestyle and newly appointed award-winning creative agency Clemenger BBDO.

Christine Jayasekera, Head of Marketing of Ingenia Lifestyle, said life minded living reflected the vibrant lifestyle on offer at an Ingenia community.

“At all of our communities across the country, people in a similar chapter of life come together to do more of the things they love and enjoy the freedom to say yes to the activities that energise them.” Ms Jayasekera said.

“Life minded living isn’t about doing less. It’s about having the freedom, time and headspace to live well – physically, socially and mentally – on your own terms.

“We wanted to create a campaign that was led by insight, not assumptions; shaped by what residents do, value and prioritise at this stage of life.

“Talking to our residents informed creative direction, tone and channel strategy. We discovered that when residents are swimming, playing pickleball, attending fitness classes, travelling together and starting new hobbies, marketing them as passive or winding down simply doesn’t ring true.”

At the heart of the campaign is a clear behavioural insight drawn from everyday life across Ingenia Lifestyle locations. Far from slowing down, many residents are actively engaged in sport and physical activity multiple times a week – a reality that challenges long-held assumptions about how over 55s living is traditionally portrayed.

The result is a campaign that visually and verbally mirrors resident behaviour; highlighting movement, vitality and everyday connection through shared spaces, social clubs, fitness, walking groups and spontaneous moments of community life.

Michael Rabey, Executive General Manager of Acquisitions and Development at Ingenia Communities, said the campaign reflected a broader shift in how the business designs and delivers its projects.

“Life minded living isn’t just a marketing idea, it’s embedded in how we plan, design and grow our communities,” he said.

“The people choosing to live in Ingenia communities are active, social and forward-looking. Our role is to create places that support that mindset, not define it by age.”

Rather than relying on aspirational imagery alone, Ingenia’s life minded positioning is reinforced through resident stories that reflect the diversity and energy of life inside its communities.

At Ingenia Lifestyle Latitude One, in Anna Bay, NSW, resident Lynne Sullivan jokes that life has become busier, not quieter. For her, the value lies in choice.

“I walk every morning with friends, do aqua aerobics, exercise classes and social groups,” she said.
“What should be a half-hour dog walk usually takes an hour and a half because we stop and talk to people.”

“You can be as involved as you want. Some people are very active, others are quieter, and that flexibility is exactly how it should be.”

Brian Clark, a resident at Ingenia Lifestyle Parkside Lucas, in Victoria, is equally direct.

“We don’t call it retirement, we call it a lifestyle,” he said.

“People here choose to stay active, get involved and keep living life.”

Kenneth McLeod at Clemenger BBDO said it was a strong opportunity to partner with a brand willing to challenge category conventions.

“From the outset, it was clear this wasn’t about reframing retirement but about reflecting reality,” he said.

“The stories, activity and connection happening inside the communities shaped the direction of the work.”

Ingenia’s approach positions the brand at the forefront of a broader industry shift – one where marketing to older Australians moves from age-defined to insight-driven, lifestyle-led and culturally relevant.

For marketers across property, health, lifestyle and consumer brands, the lesson is clear: listen to how people live before deciding how to speak to them.

“When life is lived with intention, it doesn’t slow down, it opens up,” added Mr Rabey.

“Our role as a brand is to reflect that reality – not rewrite it.