AARP TikTok: Intergenerational Humor That Connects

What happens when a Gen Xer tries to figure out what it means to “touch grass,” or a Gen Zer tries to pronounce “Depeche Mode”? You get AARP’s Slang Pronunciation Challenge. In the Slang Challenge, participants from two generations exchange era-specific slang and try to guess what each other’s terms mean. Its sister series, the Pronunciation Challenge, flips the format, with each generation presenting unique brands, bands, or names for the other to pronounce.
Both ideas share a single purpose: Creating space for two generations to interact, learn from one another, and share a laugh. The fun comes not just from the guessing, but from the surprising overlaps, unexpected blind spots, and genuine moments of connection that emerge when people discover what they do — and don’t — know about each other’s worlds.
THE CONCEPT:
The heart of both challenges is the dynamic between Gen X and Gen Z. To capture genuine interaction, we paired our resident Gen Xer (aka Craig, the “AARP TikTok Guy”) with a Gen Z coworker he already had an easy rapport with, allowing for honest reactions and playful, often hilariously off-base guesses.
We take care to select the right words and phrases, aiming for terms that feel authentically connected to one generation but unfamiliar to the other. Participants sit side by side, write their words in spiral notebooks, and then let the conversation unfold naturally. There is no scoring or pressure — just an environment designed to spark honest reactions, shared laughs, and meaningful intergenerational connection.
THE RESULTS:
Our first episodes have garnered 1.8M views, igniting playful banter and genuine connection across generations. Originally developed for TikTok, the series also performed strongly on Instagram, and has generated nearly 1,500 comments:
“Lol I couldn’t hold my laughter at some point ????”
“To be fair to GenZ, I also needed help pronouncing those names back in the day ????????”
“I love these videos! Please do more!”
“Ok aarp ur coming at me on my fave app now ????”
To date, the series has earned 35,000 likes, 10,000 shares, 2,400 saves, and 4,100 new followers.