Solstice Senior Living operates a nationwide portfolio of midmarket independent living communities across 30 local markets. Success in this category requires marketing programs that directly translate into demand, move‑ins, and long‑term brand health, particularly during periods of industry disruption and organizational change.
Integrated marketing works best when it’s built to last. Over a multi-year partnership with Solstice Senior Living, we proved that disciplined measurement and local execution could drive growth in good times, protect performance during crisis, and preserve enterprise value through an ownership transition. The results speak for themselves.
The Work
An Integrated Engine Built for Scale
MP+F led a centralized, metrics‑driven marketing strategy designed to support both national brand equity and local market performance.
Our work included the build and ongoing management of corporate and community websites, development of sales and marketing materials that maintained brand integrity while allowing for local customization, oversight of more than 30 social media pages, and always‑on digital advertising campaigns developed and optimized for local market performance. We transformed Solstice’s advertising approach from basic brand awareness to a smart conversion strategy.
The Challenge
Sustained Demand in an Industry Defined by Disruption
MP+F and Solstice Senior Living had already been partnering together for two years on earned and owned media projects when our teams decided to tackle their next greatest challenge: eliminating inefficiencies in the Solstice advertising strategy and generating more leads. Solstice needed to drive sustained lead generation and move‑ins across a large, diverse footprint while maintaining brand consistency and local relevance. Leadership also required marketing performance that could be clearly measured, optimized, and defended, particularly during the uncertainty created by COVID‑19 and by later ownership transitions.
We also leveraged earned media across local and industry outlets to continue to build brand awareness and strengthen communities’ local reputation.
The first step was streamlining their advertising campaigns to eliminate waste, with a focus on conversions rather than impressions. All of this was supported by an updated lead nurture campaign to support outreach efforts, no matter what stage in the decision-making process they were in when they clicked on an ad.
This integrated model allowed for rapid adaptation during COVID‑19, shifting messaging toward transparency, reassurance, and trust while maintaining demand in an industry experiencing widespread disruption. Since the pandemic recovery, this approach has allowed Solstice to scale performance across the portfolio of communities, driving more qualified lead volume that supports occupancy growth goals.
The results
More Leads. Higher Occupancy.
Within nine months, total leads had increased by nearly 5% from pre-COVID benchmarks. Within two years, leads had increased by 23%. More directly relevant to our efforts was an increase in website leads generated by advertising. Those leads grew even faster, with 15% more leads within six months and 42% more leads within two years. And to top it all off, we generated 25% more leads while maintaining the same budget. In short, we helped the client increase the effectiveness of their spend to get more with their advertising dollars.
Despite severe occupancy challenges across the senior living industry in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, Solstice communities achieved net‑positive move‑ins as of March 2021—a rapid recovery the client credited, in part, to MP+F’s marketing and communications strategy.
From May 2021 through January of 2023, Solstice achieved net gains in occupancy every month for 21 consecutive months. Growth continued throughout 2023 and 2024, with the portfolio achieving 94% occupancy in October 2024.
When Solstice was acquired by Welltower REIT in 2025, MP+F was retained. That vote of confidence said as much as any metric.
42% Increase in leads within two years
21 Months achieved net gains in occupancy
94% Occupancy reached by October 2024