Way Back Wednesday Series

Nostalgia can be a powerful tool for creating connections, as audiences discover commonality through the shared experiences that shaped their younger years. It is a key component in the “Happiness and Inspiration” pillar of AARP’s social media content strategy, designed to deliver uplifting and engaging content, foster connections among our audience, and celebrate the unique stories of 50-plus community. That’s where “Way Back Wednesday” comes in: This nostalgia-driven series shines a spotlight on cultural touchstones that are unique to our audience and their joyful memories of daily life and coming of age.

THE CONCEPT:
Each Wednesday, we share one nostalgic snapshot with a graphic and post copy intended to unlock happy memories and spark conversation among our audience. Topics span lifestyle, entertainment, food and fashions, with popular toys and games, brands, places, trends and activities that were once commonplace but are now rarely seen or even remembered.

The visual design evokes the experience of flipping through an old photo album or scrapbook, with carefully curated imagery and a handwritten script font. The topics we choose not only foster feelings of nostalgia and happiness but also drive meaningful engagement with our Facebook community as the audience revels in the shared experiences and memories that keep us connected.

THE RESULTS:
The “Way Back Wednesday” series was an instant hit, consistently driving high rates of engagement and positive sentiment from our audience – earning 2x more comments per post compared to our overall average. To date, the series has yielded nearly 154,000 engagements, 24,000 comments and 10,000 shares.