Veterans Storytelling Series

THE CONCEPT:
To shine a spotlight on the rich history and remarkable valor of our veterans and the military community, we developed a visual storytelling series on Facebook. The monthly series features short historical vignettes highlighting extraordinary veterans and military units, with a particular focus on telling stories that are less well known.

Our goal is to create content that will inspire a sense of pride among those who have served and bring greater awareness of these inspiring stories of courage and commitment. Each post features engaging photography, a bold headline, and long-form narrative post copy that speaks to the significance of the subject’s story, and their lasting impact.

From the Coast Guard Women’s Reserve, nicknamed the “SPARs,” to the all-Black New York National Guard unit known as “The Harlem Hellfighters,” from the Air Force’s first female fighter pilot to one of the last surviving Navajo Code Talkers, the veterans storytelling series pays homage to brave servicemen and women who have broken barriers and fought valiantly, brings awareness to stories that have been underrepresented in traditional narratives, and builds understanding and empathy within the AARP community and beyond.

THE RESULTS:
The series has become a top performer on our Facebook page, earning more than 7.9M impressions and demonstrating a positive impact on brand awareness and sentiment. These stories consistently drive high audience engagement – with posts earning 2x more comments and a 3x higher rate of shares than average. To date, our storytelling posts have generated 723,500 engagements, 26,000 comments and have been shared 50,000 times.