In the past, diplomacy was confined to embassies and formal speeches. Today, it can happen in an Instagram reel.
Influencer diplomacy is an emerging strategy where social media personalities collaborate with official institutions to promote cultural messages, strengthen bilateral ties, or simply make diplomacy more relatable. It doesn’t replace traditional diplomacy — but it offers a new voice. A human voice. For my master's thesis, I explored this shift by analyzing how the French Embassy in Brazil partnered with Paul Cabannes, a French influencer and comedian who has lived in São Paulo for nearly a decade. If you don’t know him, you’re probably not Brazilian. So here’s what you need to know about Paul:
If you speak French, I recommend checking out this short feature on him by Le Parisien 👇
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbM09k7YePU&t=2s
Between April and December 2024, the collaborative reels posted by Cabannes (@paulcabannes_) and the French Embassy in Brazil (@franceaubresil) reached thousands of Brazilians — many of whom would likely never visit an embassy website or attend a diplomatic event. This partnership brought authenticity, emotional resonance, and helped France convey its values through a voice the audience already trusted.
Image from August 16, 2024 – Source: Instagram/@franceaubresil
As part of my research, I compared the average engagement rates of French institutional Instagram accounts in Brazil with the rates of their posts featuring Cabannes. The results were astonishing: an increase in likes ranging from 2,143% to 15,923%!
The most successful reel (with 477.7K likes and 16.1K comments) featured none other than French President Emmanuel Macron. During the November 2024 G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Macron made time in his schedule to appear in a humorous reel with Paul. The topic? Whether or not croissants should have fillings — a common variation of the pastry in Brazil.
The result? A joke that might fall flat with a global audience hit the sweet spot for Brazilian social media users, especially those immersed in meme culture and humor.
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📖 Read more in this Ouest-France article
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I’ve not only analyzed engagement, but also sentiment. My sentiment analysis of comments on Instagram and TikTok revealed that humor-centered cultural content is particularly effective in generating positive engagement within digital diplomacy efforts.
Posts that played with linguistic and cultural contrasts between France and Brazil not only entertained but also sparked meaningful emotional responses. The most successful post — featuring President Macron — reached over 83% positive sentiment on Instagram, showing that even political figures can resonate with audiences when framed in relatable, humorous contexts.
