Our Work

Wishing Trees

Care UK

1,179 pieces of coverage

87 national hits

The challenge

To challenge the inaccurate and outdated perceptions of care home life.

Specifically, WPR was asked to demonstrate how fulfilling a life in a Care UK home can be, raising awareness of both the brand and its individual care homes.

The idea

We would shift the narrative about how care home residents spend their days by sharing unexpected stories of wishing tree experiences.

Care UK’s Wishing Trees, displayed in homes around the country, encourage residents to share their hopes and dreams; the team then do everything in their power to make those dreams come true.

From skydiving, flying a plane and riding the UK’s longest zipwire, to getting a first tattoo at 77 or feeding giraffes, the wishes are as varied and interesting as the residents themselves. It was an approach designed to work at both a local and national level, creating a steady stream of exciting, entertaining news content, while demonstrating Care UK’s commitment to fulfilling the lives of older people.

the results

The campaign transformed the tired image of care home life being presented in the media, and significantly helped to turn the dial on Care UK’s voice within the press.

From March 2022 to March 2023, the campaign delivered:

As part of WPR’s wider work for Care UK, the campaign also contributed to a significant increase in share of voice – up from 27.9% pre-Covid to 62.3% by March 2023.

14broadcast hits