---
title: Skaalen Retirement Services — 2026 Billboard Campaign (2025-12-08)
type: article
created: '2025-12-08'
updated: '2025-12-08'
source_docs:
- raw/2025-12-08-monday-call-w-melissa-106961224.md
tags:
- skaalen
- billboard
- 2026-planning
- google-ads
- brand-awareness
- retirement-communities
layer: 2
client_source: Skaalen Retirement Services
industry_context: senior-living
transferable: false
---

# Skaalen Retirement Services — 2026 Billboard Campaign (2025-12-08)

## Overview

During a Google Ads strategy review, a conversation with Chris (Skaalen contact) surfaced a new offline marketing initiative: a billboard campaign timed to Skaalen's 2026 awards, placed on roads leading to nearby retirement communities. The initiative emerged organically from a discussion about competitor campaign performance and how Skaalen actually generates awareness and calls.

This was discussed in the [[meetings/2025-12-08-monday-call-melissa-mark|2025-12-08 Monday Sync — Melissa & Mark]].

## Background: Google Ads Review

Melissa presented a Google Ads strategy review (assisted by AI/Cloud analysis) that included several recommendations:

- **Competitor campaigns** were generating high impressions but very low conversions — recommendation was to turn them off.
- Chris pushed back, noting that smaller local competitors were generating calls and that Skaalen was seeing brand recognition benefits even without direct conversion attribution.
- The consensus was that much of Skaalen's inbound is driven by **referrals and brand recognition**, not direct search conversion.

This reframing shifted the conversation from pure performance marketing toward brand presence — which led directly to the billboard idea.

## Billboard Campaign Initiative

**Concept:** Place billboards on roads leading into and out of retirement communities that compete with or neighbor Skaalen facilities.

**Timing:** Tied to Skaalen's **2026 awards** (e.g., "Best Nursing Home" or similar recognition).

**Messaging direction:** Something along the lines of:
> *"Skaalen — Winner of [Award Name] [Year]"*

**Audience targeting logic:** People leaving competing retirement communities (residents' families, prospective residents) who may be frustrated or evaluating alternatives will see Skaalen's award recognition at a high-consideration moment.

**Status as of 2025-12-08:** Melissa is gathering cost estimates for billboard placement.

## Key Decisions

- Competitor Google Ads campaigns may be paused or restructured given poor conversion data.
- Billboard campaign approved in principle by Chris; cost research underway.
- Strategy leans into **award credibility + geographic proximity to competitors** as the core message.

## Action Items

- [ ] Get billboard placement costs for roads near target retirement communities (@Melissa Cusumano)

## Related

- [[clients/current/skaalen/_index|Skaalen Client Index]]
- [[meetings/2025-12-08-monday-call-melissa-mark|2025-12-08 Monday Sync — Melissa & Mark]]