• by Les Luchter , Yesterday

"There's no script we could write that would ever be more powerful than the real voices of our residents and associates,” states Marla Rappaport, vice president of marketing for Benchmark Senior Living, which operates 66 independent living, assisted living and memory care facilities in Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states.

That’s the crux of Benchmark’s “In Their Own Words,” a new ad campaign the 28-year-old company says is designed to convey that its communities provide “human connection” to combat the epidemic of social isolation among older adults. The company cites the fact that the U.S. Surgeon General declared loneliness as an epidemic in 2023, likening social isolation to the equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes daily.

Moving to Benchmark “has been the most important thing that we've done,” says one of the residents featured in the campaign from Colossus Creative. “Before we came to Benchmark … it was just the two of us. The people here, the staff, are so welcoming.”

"I always have something to do,” says another resident. “And someone to do it with it."

Such comments are featured in TV, print, social and digital ads running in Benchmark-served local marketsthrough the first quarter of 2026. Arnold Communications is Benchmark’s media agency.

In announcing the new campaign, Benchmark said that, “unlike traditional senior living advertising, which is often filled with generic imagery and scripted messaging, ‘In Their Own Words’ takes a refreshingly honest and human approach.”

“We are focusing on people throughout the Northeast and in the D.C. area aged 45+ who have loved ones in need of senior living or are seniors themselves," Rappaport tells Marketing Daily. “Our ideal target market is people who own their own home and are looking for additional support.”

The campaign, she says, is designed to “drive brand awareness and qualified leads…and highlight the care, amenities, services, and programs available to our residents.”

Colossus has been Benchmark’s agency of record since 2022.

The senior living market for the entire U.S. is estimated at $119.55 billion this year, according to Mordor Intelligence, and is expected to grow 5.86% annually to some $158.93 billion in 2030.

Mordor attributes the growth to Baby Boomers, citing a “demographic transformation in which 100,000 Americans are turning 65 daily,” and a surge of almost 50% over the next decade in “the population of individuals over 80”: increasing from 13.9 million to 20.8 million over the next decade, “significantly outpacing the overall U.S. population growth of 4.7%.”Thanks to the Baby Boomers, the researcher continues, “senior living communities are increasingly shifting their focus from traditional caregiving to comprehensive wellness programs and lifestyle enhancement.”

Leading senior living players nationwide, per Mordor, include Brookdale Senior Living, Five Star Senior Living, Sunrise Senior Living, Holiday Retirement, and Kisco Senior Living.
Benchmark lays claim to being the largest senior living operator in New England.