What 15 Years of Branding in Gerontology Has Taught Us

Branding With Empathy You Can’t Fake

We didn’t set out to become an aging and gerontology–focused agency.

It started the way most meaningful work does. One project. Then another. Then a referral from someone who knew someone at a memory care program.

Before we realized it, we were 15 years in—working with state-funded dementia networks, HRSA-funded workforce programs, faith-based initiatives, academic research centers, and everything in between.

Along the way, gerontology taught us more about branding than we expected. Not just about aging audiences—but about how organizations connect with people when the stakes are real.

Here’s what stuck:

The hardest brand problems are almost always multi-audience problems.

Early on, we assumed the hardest part of aging brands was age itself—understanding older adults, avoiding stereotypes, showing respect.

That matters. But it wasn’t the real challenge.

The real issue was this: aging organizations almost never have just one audience.

Georgia Memory Net had to reach patients, caregivers, physicians, researchers, funders, and policymakers—often with the same core idea, expressed six different ways.

Georgia Gear needed to engage academics, community partners, healthcare systems, and learners at every career stage.

Alter had to speak to pastors, congregations, caregivers, and the broader faith community—without splintering its message.

This isn’t unique to gerontology. B2B companies face it. Nonprofits face it. Healthcare organizations everywhere face it.

The lesson is simple: don’t pretend you have one audience when you have five. Build messaging architecture that reflects reality.

Names have more impact than most organizations realize—but not for the reasons most healthcare leaders think.

A name’s job isn’t to explain what you do. That instinct is what leads to long descriptors, clunky acronyms, and labels that only make sense internally.

Descriptive names almost always fail the same way: they turn into forgettable acronyms, lock you into today’s services, and lack memorability—the one thing a good name must have.

The best brands know this. Apple doesn’t describe computers. Google doesn’t explain search. Their names give people something to remember and grow into.

We saw this firsthand when Georgia Alzheimer’s Program became Georgia Memory Net. This wasn’t about softening language—it was about removing friction. “Alzheimer’s” carried so much fear and stigma that families avoided the program. Even “GAP” subtly implied separation.

But “Memory Net” worked because it was human, open, and flexible. It focused on connection and support without boxing the program into a diagnosis.

One more risk of overly descriptive names: language ages fast. What feels appropriate today can quickly feel outdated or exclusionary tomorrow.

The takeaway is simple: don’t choose a name that explains everything. Choose one that can grow. Names aren’t labels. They’re containers—and the best ones leave room for what’s next.

The “industry archetype” is usually the safe choice—not the right one.

In healthcare and aging, most brands default to the same archetype: the Caregiver. Empathetic. Nurturing. Well-intentioned.

It feels appropriate. It’s also crowded.

When we worked with Georgia Gear on their brand personality, we pushed beyond the obvious. Yes, their work is caring. But what truly sets them apart?

They landed on the Sage archetype—wisdom built over decades in aging and gerontology, applied to help others improve health outcomes.

Same mission. Different posture.

Suddenly, they weren’t just another geriatrics program. They were trusted guides in a complex space.

This lesson applies everywhere. If your brand personality mirrors everyone else in your industry, you’ve chosen comfort over clarity.

Brand strategy isn’t decorative… it performs.

We know we’re biased. But after 15 years, we’ve seen the difference between organizations that invest in brand strategy and those that jump straight to visuals.

Alter planned to expand to six churches in Georgia during their 5-year grant period. After clarifying their positioning, messaging, and identity, they grew to 71 churches across 16 states.

RYSE, a diversity and inclusion initiative, grew from a single faculty development course into multiple cohorts and additional programs—and earned a PRSA award for its outreach.

These aren’t vanity metrics. They’re signs of programs that became easier to understand, easier to support, and easier to scale.

The lesson: brand strategy, done well, is a growth lever—not a design exercise.

Sometimes the process matters more than the output.

One of our GRECC (VA geriatric research center) partners couldn’t change their name or logo due to federal guidelines. They still went through our full brand discovery process.

Their feedback surprised us. They described it as one of the most valuable team-alignment exercises they’d experienced.

Early in our career, we assumed clients hired us for deliverables. Logos. Taglines. Brand guides.

What we’ve learned is that some of the most meaningful work happens before anything is designed—when teams are forced to articulate what they do, why it matters, and who they’re really serving.

What does this mean? Clarity is valuable even when execution is constrained.

The best work comes from relationships that compound.

Our strongest gerontology work didn’t happen in short engagements. It happened in long relationships.

– Georgia Memory Net led to Georgia Gear.
– Georgia Gear led to Alter.
– Alter led to RYSE.
– RYSE led to peer-reviewed publication in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Each project built on the last. Trust deepened. Context accumulated. The work became more nuanced and more effective.

We’ve shaped Reckon around this idea: being a brand partner, not a branding project. Relationships that compound over time instead of ending at launch.

It’s not for everyone. But after 15 years in this space, the pattern is clear.

What this means for you.

You may work in aging and gerontology. If so, we should probably talk.

But even if you don’t, the lessons translate:

• Acknowledge your multi-audience reality
• Pressure-test your name and positioning
• Choose differentiation over comfort
• Treat brand strategy as a growth investment
• Value clarity as much as creative output
• Build partnerships that deepen over time
  

That’s what 15 years in gerontology taught us about brand.

We suspect it applies a lot more broadly than we ever expected.

Reckon Branding is an Atlanta-based agency with 15 years of experience in aging, gerontology, and healthcare communication. Our work has been published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, and we’ve partnered with organizations ranging from HRSA-funded GWEPs to state memory care networks to faith-based dementia initiatives. If you’re facing a multi-audience brand challenge, we’d love to hear about it.