Selling the Jubilee: The Eternal City’s Marketing Strategies - An Instagram-Based Analysis of Official and Unofficial Stakeholders' Narrative
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2025-08-27
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en
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The Jubilee is a major religious event that takes place every 25 years and brings millions of visitors to Rome. Such an influx presents economic and promotional opportunities as well as challenges for the city. This thesis investigates how the ongoing Jubilee 2025 is promoted on Instagram by both official and unofficial stakeholders, presenting their respective narratives. A qualitative content analysis was conducted on several Instagram accounts: three official, including @italiait, @robertogualtieri, and @iubilaeum25, and two unofficial, including @welcometogiubileo and @turismo_criminale, covering posts published between June 2024 and May 2025. The analysis reveals a strong duality between the two communication strategies: institutional accounts promote the event as a great opportunity to enhance Rome’s international image; in contrast, unofficial accounts report the everyday struggles of some residents, including inflation, overcrowding, and urban degradation. These two narratives show the tension between promotional communication and residents' experiences. This research highlights the importance of including residents’ perspectives in local authorities’ communication strategies, especially in a platform like Instagram, where people’s voices can gain significant visibility.
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Faculteit der Letteren