On April 1, the City of Nevers renamed rue François-Mitterrand after the first YouTuber in France, Tibo InShape, immediately sparking a buzz. Koikispass wanted to know more behind the scenes of this April Fool’s Day.
How was the idea of renaming rue François-Mitterrand to rue Tibo InShape born?
Yoann Martin, community manager at the City of Nevers: With the communications department, we were looking for a fun idea for April 1st. We thought that renaming streets with the names of influencers could be funny. I suggested Tibo InShape, because he is today the most followed French-speaking YouTuber.
Did the idea appeal to you immediately?
Denis Thuriot, mayor of Nevers: Yes, because it is original and it speaks to young people with their codes. In Nevers, the number of students is increasing, it’s a way of addressing them, while showing that we can do things seriously without taking ourselves too seriously.
Tell us behind the scenes of these publications on Instagram and TikTok?
Y. M. : I contacted Tibo InShape a week before by email to present the project to him. He responded very quickly, with enthusiasm. Then, the technical teams made a plate for around thirty euros and we shot the video in half an hour, rue François-Mitterrand. I immediately sent him the edit, offering to take a selfie video in return.
And on D-day?
Y. M. : On April 1, at 7:30 a.m., I had his video. And at noon, he published it on his networks where it had 1.8 million views.
Are you satisfied with the result?
Y. M. : Yes, the video exceeded one million views on Instagram, it was shared more than 68,000 times and attracted more than 1,700 comments. On TikTok, there were 1 million views and 1,000 more subscribers. What is striking is that 95% of the people affected were not yet aware of the City’s accounts.
What does this change for Nevers?
D.T. : This gives visibility to the city of Nevers which was one of the first in France to be on TikTok. We also have municipalities that ask us to launch into this type of communication.Â
Will there be a sequel to this story?
D.T. : I hope so. I suggested that Tibo InShape come and spend a “day as mayor” to discover the behind the scenes of the role. This would be a nice way to extend this sequence.
Comments collected by Dominique Romeyer
