Yokohama City
Helping one of Japan’s largest cities be a pioneer on Instagram
CHALLENGE
To increase awareness and interest in Yokohama City internationally through creating and operating a global Instagram account.
SOLUTION
With the aim of increasing its recognition and boosting its brand image around the world, Yokohama City decided to focus on a popular gathering place: Instagram.
Our strategy focused on empowering the best people possible to spread positive word of mouth of the city - those who live in Yokohama or have been there. We decided to harness their unique experiences and perspectives to encourage others to “find their Yokohama.”
We utilized a combination of user-generated content as well as created original content, and encouraged the use of our branded hashtag, #MyYokohama. Posts were done on a daily basis in English to connect with many around the world.
Local photographer influencers were collaborated with as city ambassadors, and their work let even more people get a taste of Yokohama through their creative content.
Together with offline exhibitions we put on in Yokohama, Singapore and Hong Kong, Yokohama City continues to grow its awareness, gain fans and increase interest in people abroad.
RESULTS
We grew Yokohama city’s account to more than 17,000 followers in the first year. It became the biggest global Instagram account of any Japanese municipality, while achieving an above industry-average 9% engagement rate.
It has since grown to over 60,000 followers, with more than 169k posts using the branded hashtag.
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