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Practicing citizen diplomacy 2.0: “The Hot Dudes and Hummus—Israel’s Yummiest” campaign for Israel’s branding

Author

Listed:
  • Tal Samuel-Azran

    (Sammy Ofer School of Communications at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC))

  • Betti Ilovici

    (Sammy Ofer School of Communications at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC))

  • Israel Zari

    (Sammy Ofer School of Communications at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC))

  • Orly Geduild

    (Sammy Ofer School of Communications at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC))

Abstract

The concept of citizen diplomacy is central in public diplomacy studies, although so far very few studies have documented real-life cases of citizen diplomacy initiatives. Moreover, the few cases documented mainly represent government-initiated citizen diplomacy rather than bottom-up projects, and mostly for governments with a positive image. This study describes, based on data from Instagram Insights, a case study of a high-profile citizen diplomacy initiative started by four students from Israel, a country with a highly problematic international image. The students launched the Instagram account “Hot Dudes with Hummus—Israel’s Yummiest” gaining attention from leading international entertainment outlets and attracting around 42,000 Instagram followers, over 90% from outside of Israel. To better understand the reception of the campaign, the paper is complemented by a content analysis of user comments sentiment, revealing that 67% of the comments contained positive sentiment. The study illustrates the potency of citizen diplomacy initiatives and shows that in the age of online social networks, citizens who understand the online social media environment can lead efficient nation branding campaigns.

Suggested Citation

  • Tal Samuel-Azran & Betti Ilovici & Israel Zari & Orly Geduild, 2019. "Practicing citizen diplomacy 2.0: “The Hot Dudes and Hummus—Israel’s Yummiest” campaign for Israel’s branding," Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 15(1), pages 38-49, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:pbapdi:v:15:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1057_s41254-018-00111-5
    DOI: 10.1057/s41254-018-00111-5
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ido Aharoni & Amir Grinstein, 2017. "How to (re)position a country? A case study of the power of micro-marketing," Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 13(4), pages 293-307, November.
    2. Moran Yarchi & Tal Samuel-Azran & Lidor Bar-David, 2017. "Facebook users’ engagement with Israel’s public diplomacy messages during the 2012 and 2014 military operations in Gaza," Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 13(4), pages 360-375, November.
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