Case Study: Elevating Diplomacy with Online Wit

Brief History

In late 2021, I began creating content and managing social media for Mission U.S. in Vietnam. Most of the content was published on their Facebook page, which has a strong following and high engagement rates. After a few months, I also gained insights into which types of content resonated well with the audience and how they typically reacted to various posts.

The Problem

The U.S. Embassy's Facebook page holds great potential and presents unique challenges in creating viral content. While it boasts a high engagement rate, it remains a diplomatic communications channel, meaning we can't pursue every internet trend. Content must align with departmental regulations and generate positive buzz for the Mission. Finally, I challenged myself to generate viral content using little to no budget, in order to differentiate my content from the previous viral success such as the Ambassador rap video.

The Solution

Photo credit: Tuoi Tre News

After conducting research, I concluded that the most effective way to create viral content was to use humor related to the Embassy. During the 2022 World Cup, I tested this theory since football often generated highly positive feedback on the Embassy’s Facebook page. Based on the schedule of the United States Men's National Soccer Team, I designed specific memes and witty captions for each match, tagging related Facebook pages of other embassies. This created a fun rivalry between different pages and allowed us to engage further during the soccer matches, significantly boosting our engagement.

The Result

These posts received massive engagement upon release, leading to a substantial increase in followers on our platform. We also received numerous interview requests and coverage from Vietnam’s major media outlets, including TuoiTre and VietNamNet.