Leeds agency HUB has been praised for setting “a new benchmark for inclusive marketing” after winning a top honour at the Silver Marketing Association Awards 2026 for its work on CareCo Life, a quarterly customer magazine for mobility retailer CareCo.
The agency also picked up the Best Direct Mail Campaign (Non-Travel) award, while CareCo Life was also Highly Commended in the Best Print Campaign category. HUB’s work for Jorvik Tricycles was Highly Commended in the Best Overall Multi-Channel Campaign category and shortlisted for Best TV Campaign.
The Silver Marketing Association Awards recognise brands and agencies delivering creative, empathetic and results-driven campaigns for the over-55 audience. Judges described CareCo Life, HUB’s ongoing national lifestyle magazine for CareCo, as an entry that “sets a new benchmark for inclusive marketing”, praising its use of “high-quality print media… to normalise mobility products as tools for empowerment” and noting that the campaign “beautifully bridges lifestyle editorial with commercial purpose.”
READ MORE: Last chance to save: Early bird rates for Growth to Gold end today
Printed and mailed rather than digital – a deliberate choice for the audience – CareCo Life combines book reviews, lifestyle articles, educational content and editorial features with subtle advertising and product messaging, positioning mobility aids as tools for independence rather than leading with the sale. One judge noted: “Coming from a journalist background, I really appreciate the logic of this campaign. To inform, educate and entertain is a great way to bring potential customers onside while the sales messages can subtly sit alongside.”
The CareCo Life campaign was also commended for its data-driven approach. The magazine was tested against a control group who received only CareCo’s standard product brochure, with those receiving both the brochure and CareCo Life showing notably stronger engagement.
The Association commented: “The strategic preparation, including robust competitor analysis and test groups, yielded good results, driving direct purchases for premium advertisers like G-Tech… A brilliantly integrated, purpose-driven campaign with the hard data to back it up.”
The win reflects HUB’s growing focus on the over-55 demographic. The agency has been working to challenge outdated stereotypes and improve the representation of older audiences in marketing and advertising, including through The Silver Times, a physical newspaper created to share insight on how brands can better reach this audience. The initiative follows an ASA report that found many brands still rely on tired stereotypes when marketing to this group, with more than a third of those surveyed feeling over-55s were negatively portrayed in ads, and almost half saying they were not represented at all.
Rob Shaw, CEO at HUB, said: “These awards mean a huge amount to us. The over-55 market is too often an afterthought in marketing, and we’ve made it our mission to change that, both through the work we do for clients like CareCo and Jorvik Tricycles and through internal initiatives like our Silver Times newspaper. To have that approach recognised by the Silver Marketing Association, and to see judges respond so strongly to the thinking behind CareCo Life, is a brilliant endorsement of what we set out to do. We’re proud of the team behind this work, and we’re excited to continue raising the standard for marketing to older audiences.”
Building on the campaign, HUB will host a roundtable in collaboration with Prolific North in Leeds this September for brands marketing to the 55+ demographic. Those interested in attending can register their interest by emailing [email protected], with further details to be announced.
