3rd3rd Marketing President Cynthia Thurlow to Challenge Status Quo at LeadingAge Leadership Summit

- The session explores a modern marketing playbook for senior living executives -

SEATTLE, Wash., April 20, 2026 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Cynthia Thurlow, CEO and President of 3rd3rd Marketing, will join an influential panel of national marketing leaders at the LeadingAge National Leadership Summit to present “Rebuilding Your Marketing Engine with a Modern Mindset.” The session will take place on Tuesday, April 21, from 1:45 to 3:00 p.m. The summit brings together aging services providers, policy experts, and advocates to discuss technology, workforce, and housing.

Thurlow will be joined by Timi Mafua, Senior Manager of Studio Management at T-Mobile, and another general agency panelist, bringing together perspectives from global consumer brands and leading advertising agencies that benefit operators of senior living communities and aging services.

The session will take a candid look at why many nonprofit senior living organizations struggle to innovate—not due to lack of vision, but because leadership teams and boards are often navigating immediate operational priorities, leaving limited capacity to advance modern marketing and brand strategy. It will also examine the hidden “census killers” holding organizations back, including overreliance on generic advertising, internal micromanagement, fragmented decision-making across stakeholders, building before brand strategy, and misaligned staffing investments in an increasingly complex, modern market.

Speakers will challenge the long-standing assumption that adults 60+ represent a single, homogenous audience and offer a new path forward.

Attendees will gain a practical, modern playbook for:

Restructuring marketing functions for agility and growth
Designing products and experiences aligned with evolving consumer expectations
Building brand platforms that generate demand and unlock innovation
Exploring effective nonprofit senior living marketing strategies, which challenge the assumptions that perpetuate ageism as more adults enter the “third third” of their lives

“I am hearing, and I am seeing more often that when it comes to independent living, people are ‘waiting too long’ to move in. It’s the ‘NOT YET’ mentality. While senior living is doing important work, what it needs to realize is it’s now a mature category that hasn’t consistently innovated to meet its market,” said Thurlow. “Younger Baby Boomers, in particular, don’t see themselves in what’s being offered, or how it’s being marketed. That disconnect is what’s driving hesitation, and it represents a major opportunity for reinvention. When it comes to selling ‘care’ this dynamic is exacerbated.”

Through its work with senior living organizations nationwide, 3rd3rd Marketing helps clients move beyond thinking of age as a demographic to focus on psychodemographics, including values, interests, and aspirations that more accurately reflect today’s consumer. This approach enables communities to build more meaningful connections and drive sustainable growth.

The session will also explore how leading brands outside of senior living approach marketing systems and what lessons can be applied immediately within the sector.

“In studying the senior living space, I was struck by how even a built-in customer base doesn’t guarantee growth,” Mafua said. “It’s a reminder that what got you here won’t get you there. Real differentiation takes bold thinking, the courage to change and a partner with the experience to guide you. It’s not a built-in skill for most organizations.”

The LeadingAge National Leadership Summit convenes top executives and decision-makers from across the senior living and aging services fields to explore strategies that shape the industry’s future.

About 3rd3rd Marketing

3rd3rd Marketing is the “Un-Senior Living Agency,” partnering with senior living communities and mission-driven aging services organizations in both B2C and B2B categories globally. By dismantling unintentional ageism and stereotypes, and replacing them with aspirational narratives, 3rd3rd helps organizations build authentic connections, increase engagement, and achieve lasting impact. For more information, visit: https://3rd3rd.com/.

LOGO link for media: https://www.send2press.com/300dpi/26-0312-s2p-3rd3rd-300dpi.webp

Summit Info: https://leadershipsummit.leadingage.org/speakers-2/page/5/

NEWS SOURCE: 3rd3rd Marketing

Keywords: Advertising and Marketing, CEO Cynthia Thurlow, LeadingAge National Leadership Summit, 3rd3rd Marketing, SEATTLE, Wash.

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