EVANSTON, Ill.—Mather LifeWays today announced that its organization name going forward will be Mather. The nearly 80-year-old not-for-profit, based in Evanston, Ill., provides three areas of service including senior living residences, cafés and neighborhood programs, and a research institute. Long recognized as an industry leader, Mather continues to change the perception of aging, and create opportunities for its residents and customers to age well, serving more than 180,000 people annually, directly and indirectly, with operations in Illinois, Arizona, and Virginia, and having a global impact through its outreach, research, and programs.
“The name Mather has always been a part of who we are,” said Mather CEO and president, Mary Leary. “It evokes our founder, Alonzo Mather’s, unique story as an entrepreneur who lived a life full of possibilities and innovation, inspiring people to do more than they ever thought possible.”
Evolving from Mather LifeWays to Mather provides an opportunity to evolve the identity with a new look and new narrative while retaining brand equity. In rebranding, Mather’s reviewed its mission, vision, values, brand archetype, and more—while building a strong platform from which to share its story and connect with employees and the next generation of older adults. The new identity includes a distinct, contemporary logo with a signature feel that portrays a human touch. The brand will also retain Mather’s widely recognized bold orange color, which has been in use since 2004.
As part of this initiative, Mather introduced its new tagline: “Be NextraordinaryTM.” This phrase embodies the organization’s commitment to surpassing the ordinary, turning everyday moments into extraordinary ones. Graphically, Mather will depict and define Nextraordinary through images that spotlight indescribable moments, bracketing them simply with quotation marks.
This is not the first time that Mather has created language designed to deliberately redefine the senior living space. In 2015, along with LeadingAge, Mather proposed and co-led the renaming of the category continuing care retirement community to Life Plan Community. Among other changes to the lexicon, at Mather, “retirement” became “RepriormentTM” and “departments” became “experience centers.”
“At Mather, we’re committed to next practices—from creating new language that shifts perceptions, to encouraging industry-wide innovations through our recognition programs, leadership trainings, and more,” Leary said.
Mather is considered a communications innovator, with its marketing strategies earning 100+ awards in the last 15 years. Through these successful efforts, Mather has expanded its reach, including more than 60,000 followers on social media—numbers not widely seen in senior living.
The new brand identity received unanimous approval by Mather’s board of directors and was introduced internally to employees and residents over the past several weeks with enthusiastic acceptance throughout the organization.
“Brands play a significant role in defining who we are and what we value,” said Brenda Schreiber, senior vice president of marketing at Mather. “This initiative provides a new opportunity to connect with the next generation of adults who are redefining life after 50. We think that’s Nextraordinary.”To learn more about Mather, or to see Mather’s new branding initiative in action, visit www.mather.com.
About Mather
Mather is a unique not-for-profit organization founded nearly 80 years ago to enhance the lives of older adults. Dedicated to developing and implementing Ways to Age WellSM, Mather creates programs, places, and residences for today’s young-at-heart older adults. These include providing a continuum of living and care; supporting neighborhoods in being better places for older adults to live, work, learn, contribute, and play; and identifying, implementing, and sharing next practices for Ways to Age Well. Mather is based in Evanston, Ill. To learn more about Mather’s senior living residences, cafés and neighborhood programs, and research institute, visit mather.com.
