In another sign of the company's growth and future expansion plans, Senior Services Marketing Agency national team, named Derek Dunham as president of the agency. In his new role, Derek will lead the day-to-day operations of the company in support of its national expansion and growing customer base.
Derek has over 30 years of experience in branding, marketing and communications. At Varsity, he has led the execution of research studies, strategic development initiatives, and tactical plans for countless senior citizen organizations and other leading brands targeting mature markets.
“Since its founding, Varsity has been committed to providing a fresh perspective to a mature market. This is an example of that commitment,” said John Vasunas, president of Pavone Group. “The post-COVID-19 world has created a lot of demand for the senior living and senior marketing industries. Roundtable Projects During COVID-19 Starting with the launch of , and following this announcement today, Varsity is uniquely poised to meet these demands.”
Varsity's Roundtable Project is an ongoing series aimed at sales and marketing leaders in life plan communities and age-in-place programs across the country.
For Derek, this new role is an opportunity to guide clients as they transition into the next wave of retirees and ever-changing expectations. This is also an opportunity to continue his Varsity commitment to challenging the stereotypes of senior marketing.
“The field of senior services is incredibly diverse, but we see a lot of marketing for seniors based on the same tired stereotypes,” says Derek. “Varsity's goal for his clients is to bring ideas that break the mold to life. That's what Varsity has done for the past 20 years, and that's what we will continue to do.”
For Varsity's senior customer base, the agency's focus for the organizations it works with is to generate qualified leads and develop strategies to convert those leads into sales. Derek added, “Everything we do contributes to these two goals of his.”
In 2023, Varsity was named one of the fastest growing agencies in the world by Adweek. Varsity is part of the Pavone Group and serves as a cornerstone of the Group's growth objectives from 2024 onwards, primarily due to the predicted explosive growth of the seniors market. This growth is also driven by Varsity's focus on data and digital-driven strategies.
