44K followers on twitter handle: Corporation’s superhero campaign a hit with Gen Y

The above conversation is not from The Avengers but an illustration released by the Chennai Corporation on its social media handles. The illustration is intended to create awareness on the importance of wearing masks during the pandemic. Since the outbreak of the disease, the ever idle Twitter handle of the Corporation (@ chennaicorp) has now become a sensation and has even witnessed a steep rise in number of followers, which is now close to 44,000. Since then, the Twitter and Facebook handles of the civic body is rife with funny yet meaningful messages creating awareness.

According to a Corporation official, a PR agency was appointed for the social media handles a day before the lockdown was announced. “A team of 15 to 20 youngsters have been hired to run the social media platforms on a shift basis. We are trying to disseminate information using innovative methods rather than sticking to traditional ways,” a representative of the agency said.

As on Thursday, the Twitter handle of the civic body had recorded more than one crore impressions. More than 500 tweets were also posted. All the tweets are also being posted on the Corporation’s Facebook wall. “We receive hundreds of messages. But we are giving preference to complaints related to COVID-19 now,” the official added.

Apart from Marvel heroes, the Chennai Corporation, as a part to familiarize #WearAMask challenge, has also made DC Comics’ Batman and Robin a part of their illustrations.