I have a rule as a career marketer:
Never click digital ads.
(We all know what happens next… the endless retargeting, the algorithmic stalking, the sudden realization that you’re being watched more closely than your own dog.)

But last week, the New York Times app served me something I could not resist:
A tiny bunny…
…inside an acorn…
…wearing a Christmas bow.

Reader, I clicked.

And what happened next?
I was served an ad with no copy, no CTA, nothing strategic whatsoever…just a fuzzy, animated puppy staring into my soul.

And that’s when I realized:
I was being tested.
“Will she click again? How easily does she fall for cute things? How does she behave when we tug at her emotions instead of her logic?”

(It was a “no” from me… but still. Well-played, algorithm.)

Now… why are we telling this story to senior living organizations?

Because far too often, communities feel they must lead with very literal visuals:
Residents. Buildings. Amenities. Apartments. Dining rooms.
Proof! Proof! Proof!

But here’s the truth: You don’t have to show your community… to get someone to want to know your community.

Marketing isn’t about showing everything you have.
It’s about showing something that resonates emotionally, so people feel something → pause → click → enter your world.

A cute bunny in an acorn did more for my click-through rate than any “Learn More About Our Beautiful Residences!” advertisement ever could.

Senior living prospects are human.
Humans respond to warmth, emotion, curiosity, aspiration, delight.
Not just information.

So yes—your next great top-of-funnel ad might not show a resident at all.
It might show something beautiful, emotional, unexpected…
…that gets your future residents to feel a spark.

And that spark is the beginning of a relationship.
The beginning of trust.
The beginning of the funnel.

Moral of the story:
If a bunny in an acorn can make a lifelong marketer break her own rules…
your creative can do much more than show your building.
It can make someone feel.

And that’s where the magic happens.