Case Study: citizenM Reaches Across America with KesselsKramer’s Instagram Portrait Campaign

CitizenM turns 52 citizens into hundreds of portraits with KesselsKramer

The customer, citizenM, faced a challenge when launching its Washington DC Capitol hotel. Aiming to represent the entire United States by photographing one citizen from each state, the project was halted by the travel and gathering limitations of the coronavirus pandemic. The vendor, KesselsKramer, was tasked with finding a way to achieve this goal under these new restrictions.

KesselsKramer's solution was to reimagine the photoshoot using Instagram. They created a custom Instagram filter that allowed people across America to photograph themselves against a virtual backdrop for a chance to be featured. This expanded the cast from a planned 52 to hundreds of participants. The final 52 selected portraits were featured in a public exhibition across the windows of the new citizenM hotel and throughout the city.

CitizenM