Fulfilling Lives

Care UK – one of the UK’s largest care home providers – prides itself on its advanced dementia expertise and commitment to helping residents lead fulfilling lives.

We’ve been working with Care UK for over a decade and, at the heart of our brief sits Care UK’s ‘fulfilling lives’ message. The entire care sector was hit hard by the pandemic and, as the country emerged from lockdown, the company needed to focus on restoring faith in both the sector and the brand.

We were tasked with developing a comms strategy that would dispel common myths around care homes and celebrate the people living in them.

Our goal was to get Care UK to a position where it would dominate share of voice in the sector, making its name and homes front of mind for families considering care for their elderly relatives.

We set out to devise a campaign that would transform perceptions of care home life. At the same time, we would demonstrate Care UK’s dementia expertise, delivering a campaign that would work nationally as well as at a regional level, focusing on 94 homes around the country.

At the heart of our perception shift strategy was ‘Wishing Trees’. Residents could post a wish on a tree in their local home and the Care UK team would do everything in their power to make that dream come true.

Within months, the media was sharing images and videos of residents getting their first tattoo, ice-skating, skiing, skydiving, ziplining and more. We shattered myths surrounding care home life, putting Care UK front and centre of the march towards fulfilling lives for older members of society.

The annual ‘Let’s Talk About Dementia’ campaign began in 2022 with a survey of 2,000 Brits, resulting in hard-hitting national news showing how little the nation knew about dementia. In 2024, it evolved into ‘The Big Dementia Conversation’, an advice hub bringing together expert knowledge and real-life experiences to support those looking after someone living with dementia, and demonstrating how to live well with the condition. Partnering with national treasure Angela Rippon, whose mother had dementia, added an element of continuity and relatability.

We also shine a light on Care UK’s centenarian residents, sharing words of wisdom and secrets to long and happy lives on their 100-plus birthdays, using the quirkiest and most unexpected advice and anecdotes to drive coverage.