Comms pros can lead culture change by reexamining tone, imagery and everyday language to ensure every generation feels seen.
As Vice President of Audience Strategy, Age Inclusion, at AARP, Karen Chong is driving a cultural shift in how we think about age, aging and inclusion. Chong has driven award-winning initiatives such as AARP’s #DisruptAging campaign—doubling engagement year over year—and groundbreaking research on women’s perspectives on aging, microaggressions and media representation. Her work advances AARP’s mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age.
Before joining AARP, Chong led partnership and content marketing teams at PBS, The Washington Post Company and Pearson PLC.
You’ve built partnerships that have reshaped how the media portrays aging. What have you learned about what it really takes to change a long-held cultural narrative?
Aging is something we all do, and our focus has been addressing how we think — and communicate — about age, aging and ageism. Clarity of message and engaging with your audience are key to shaping future conversations. The focus for me always comes back to the vision of empowering all of us to “choose how we live as we age.”
It ties directly back to our mission: AARP has been advocating for what matters most to the more than 100 million Americans 50-plus and their families — health, financial security and personal fulfillment.
When you think about age inclusion as part of a broader DEI strategy, what role do communicators play in moving it from “initiative” to true culture shift?
These concepts are really intertwined for me, as all shifts — cultural, tectonic or otherwise — require energy and effort. I think about my work in this space as shifting broader social conversations. Addressing ageism really starts with surfacing how we live with this bias, much of it unconscious. Think of birthday cards that say “over the hill,” or how easily we use phrases like “she looks good for her age” or react with “no way are you 40!”
You’ve worked across powerhouse brands like PBS and The Washington Post before joining AARP. How did those earlier experiences inform your approach to audience strategy today?
When I think about it, my work has always focused on improving how we live together — how to leverage information to help us all, collectively.
At The Post, I helped lead the launch of new information products for an emerging tech sector, just as systems integration and supply chain management were becoming so important (think online order fulfillment). At PBS, we focused on how we could leverage media to engage, enlighten and inform all of us. It was about access.
Both of these felt very mission-oriented, much like my work at AARP.
What first drew you to this work of redefining aging — was there a personal experience or realization that shaped your commitment?
My lightbulb moment was a “do it for future me” realization: someone once said, “If you aren’t actively working to dismantle age discrimination, you’re supporting a system that will discriminate against your future self.”
So I was ready when the opportunity came to lead work inspired by then-CEO Jo Ann Jenkins, titled “Disrupt Aging,” and to join that team.
You’ve spent your career helping organizations reach diverse audiences. How has your own view of ‘audience’ evolved?
My experience mirrors a lot of what is happening around us — my thinking has become more inclusive, shifting from “seen” identity to the many identities we all carry within us.
A personal example is my identity as a member of the 1.5 generation — meaning I don’t feel fully first-generation American (although I did immigrate with my family) nor second-generation, but have experiences of both. That definition didn’t exist until recently, and it really helped me clarify many concepts.
What’s a book, podcast or other material you often revisit, and why?
The podcast “Hidden Brain” covers such a range of social science topics that impact how we live. It delivers impactful information and insights in a compelling storytelling package that makes me stop and rethink how we may be perceiving the world around us. Plus, the great storytelling gets at the heart of what I try to do: craft a compelling narrative that sparks conversation.
Isis Simpson-Mersha is a conference producer/ reporter for Ragan. Follow her on LinkedIn.
The post How AARP is redefining aging through inclusion and authentic storytelling appeared first on PR Daily.
