Mission Takeover the Fifth

It happened for the first time in November: student Marie-Luise took over the Instagram account of the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. For a week, she posted photos from her student life using the hashtag #instagramtakeover. Marie-Luise is in her 7th semester studying business administration in Zittau. On her Instagram profile, she describes herself as a daydreamer, book lover, and budding foodie. Regarding the takeover experiment, she says, “You can create a great impression of the university through Instagram.”

For the Takeover project, students are given guest access to the Instagram profile and post photos, videos, and Stories on behalf of Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences for about a week. Shortly before the takeover, there’s a briefing to ensure everything runs smoothly. Taking over the account naturally also comes with a sense of responsibility toward the university as an institution.

Social media takeovers are a popular and relatively new way to breathe new life into social media channels. Large companies are already setting a good example in this regard: by handing over their Instagram accounts to influencers or professional photographers, they provide authentic content for their followers. The Public Relations Office picked up on this idea and issued a call for submissions for the HSZG’s first Instagram takeover. What many companies are already doing naturally works for public institutions as well. The only difference is that our “influencers” are HSZG students. After Marie-Luise took over the account for a week, new “applications” immediately started pouring into the Public Relations Office’s inbox. Since then, students have been regularly posting live updates about their daily lives, their experiences at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, the parties, and the sports programs. This results in personal and honest posts for our Instagram account.

Shortly before Christmas, university staff member Sandro Hänseroth is turning the tables: during the week of December 11–16, the 34-year-old is turning the takeover into a Christmas special. The social worker, for example, asks staff members he runs into in the hallway whether they’re more like the Grinch or the Christmas elf, and pays a surprise visit to Rector Prof. Albrecht in his office. The lighthearted antics are good, and this time, the behind-the-scenes look at university management is of interest to the students.

So far, five students and one university staff member have posted on behalf of the HSZG—and with success. The number of followers of the hszg.de account has grown by 150 people since November. Leonie posted the most successful post; her selfie received 120 likes. The Görlitz student plays volleyball and enjoys her studies in Tourism Management. She is originally from Berlin.

Students and university staff who would also like to take over the Zittau/Görlitz University Instagram account for a few days can contact us at any time at marketing@hszg.de.