Katarina Slavich
31 October 2019: A group of University of Canberra students in the Faculty of Arts and Design have become social media influencers, developing social media campaigns to promote Canberra as a place to live, work and visit, as part of their studies.
The Digital Engagement and Analytics students have created the campaigns for Instagram as part of their Communication and Media degrees, with the accounts highlighting some of the best Canberra has to offer, from food and arts, to culture and business.
The students were led by researcher Prue Robson, whose PhD focuses on Canberra’s reputation as a place to live, and the phenomenon of ‘Canberra bashing’. As part of her thesis, Ms Robson is researching why perceptions and stereotypes of Canberra exist; her findings have informed the assessment for students, which combines developing social media skills and getting students on board as champions of Canberra.
“Today’s communication professionals are expected to have a solid grasp of digital media and the jobs we’re seeing advertised for our graduates are increasingly focused on content creation and social media management, so this was the perfect opportunity for students to get some hands-on experience in those roles,” said Ms Robson.
Ms Robson says that stereotyping Canberra as boring and sterile has been supported by news and popular culture media – so her students have been tasked with shifting the popular narrative about Canberra by minimising the negatives and emphasising the positives.
Among the Instagram accounts are @cuisinesofcbr, which showcases the finest food Canberra has to offer, while @canberrainsider gives followers the inside scoop on Canberra’s best kept secrets.
One group of students have created the account @billoftheberra, which features photos of a rubber duck named Bill in prominent locations across Canberra and the region.
“We thought: what better way to broadcast Canberra than with a little mascot that people will see and smile about. He’s very versatile, so he can go anywhere and check out the best of what Canberra has to offer,” said student Grace Robson.
“This assignment has made me explore what Canberra has to offer, because there are a lot of stones that people leave unturned when they visit,” said fellow student Alex Huntly.
Ms Robson says some of the groups will present their campaigns to VisitCanberra.
“In just 13 weeks, the students have researched the topic, developed a social media strategy, created content for their Instagram accounts and evaluated their campaigns. It’s been a fantastic effort on their part, and they should be really proud of the results they’ve achieved in such a short time,” said Ms Robson.
“I think a few of the students have realised just how hard being an influencer can be. There’s a lot of cold meals, long hikes and embarrassing themselves in public just to get the perfect Instagram shot.”
Follow the students’ work by searching #uccommsmedia on Instagram. The top campaigns will also be on display at the UC Faculty of Arts and Design Student Graduate Exhibition 2019: FADX on 20 November 2019.
Student Instagram accounts
Group 1: @cuisinesofcbr
Group 2: @cbrculture
Group 3: @canberrapublicart
Group 4: @canberraroundtheclock
Group 5: @canberrainsider
Group 6: @cupofcanberra
Group 7: @sugaraficionadosCBR
Group 8: @madeincanberra
Group 9: @billoftheberra
Group 10: @CBR_Weekend
Group 11: @brunchandboozecbr
Group 12: @canberraslocalpups
Group 13: @canberra_careers
Group 14: @canberrabashers
Group 15: @house_blends_canberra
Group 16: @outdoorinthecapital
