Changing the story of retirement: How AARP utilizes a strategic narrative to advocate for the aging workforce

•The national discourse about retirement is changing.•The “Modern Retirement” narrative was crafted to advocate for an older workforce.•The narrative is told and retold through its organizational documents.•Scaffolding of the accounts is used to bolster the narrative.•The narrative has created an issue to which other organizations must respond.

The modern conceptualization of retirement is changing as more people choose to work later in life or opt back into the workforce. AARP has contributed to the modern perception of retirement through its use of a strategic narrative titled “Modern Retirement.” This case study examined AARP's strategic narrative in order to understand how it created and perpetuated the issue of adapting an older workforce. A thematic analysis of AARP's organizational documents revealed that the narrative was layered, meaning that it was told and retold through the sharing of personal experiences and situated within the national discourse. This case emphasizes the need for public relations scholars to examine topics related to the aging workforce and adds to the understanding of how issues are rhetorically constructed, and managed within larger corporate environments.