SITUATION

The premiere property of St. Joseph of the Pines Health System, Belle Meade Retirement Resort is a continuing care retirement community located in Southern Pines, North Carolina. After launching with a boom in the late nineties, interest in the upscale property was waning. And, by the mid-2000’s, more than twenty houses were vacant and the waiting list was too short for comfort.

OBJECTIVE

WilsonMcGuire Creative was hired to stimulate renewed interest into the 220 unit resort and grow the waiting list to a comfortable level.

SOLUTION

Belle Meade’s Life Care offering provided residents with the confidence that they would be cared for no matter what their health as they aged. WMC’s strategy was to combine the community’s Life Care benefit with its resort-style living to position Belle Meade Retirement Resort as better than home. The campaign was revealed through a new website, direct mail, Google Adwords, and advertising targeting both the local area and the Research Triangle. Within a year, the waiting list had doubled and occupancy was at 95%.