Who doesn’t like a good laugh?
Social media has been one of the primary sources of positivity, dopamine, and laughter for people for as long as we can all remember. Memes are a type of static content that offers instant entertainment “at-a-glance”.
Memes are typically used to replace something relatable that might be too difficult or long to put into words. They usually capture a relatable vibe, feeling, or experience, providing people with a concise way to express themselves.
When spread across social media, memes foster a sense of connection and community among people who relate to and understand the reference to which they were created.
Memes can serve several different purposes: humor and relatability, social and political commentary, community building, and marketing and brand engagement.
Today, I’ll discuss the marketing purpose of memes; it actually has a name… Wait for it… 😅
Meme Marketing: The art of promoting products and services with memes.
What Is Meme Marketing and Why It Works
Meme marketing involves brands using the viral nature of internet memes to connect with their audience in a relatable and humorous way, thus promoting their products or services.
Meme marketing tends to rely on existing internet jokes, images, videos, or catchy phrases that have already captured the attention of a broad online audience.
Businesses then adapt these memes to align with their branding and messaging, creating content and ads that feel like an inside joke shared with customers.
In simple terms, meme marketing works because it fosters a sense of community, relatability, connection, and trust.
Using a current, relevant, and popular meme allows brands to say, “Hey, we’re on the same page with you!” to their audience, thus signaling that they understand online culture, are up to date with current trends, and are approachable.
Here are some benefits that companies can reap when using meme marketing:
- Increased Engagement: Memes are highly shareable and encourage greater engagement. Your audience is more likely to like, share, and comment on a relatable meme than a traditional ad, which may lead to organic reach and increased visibility.
- Brand Personality: Memes can help your brand feel more approachable. This is essential, especially if your target audience is younger generations. People enjoy connecting with others, not with suits and skyscrapers.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Creating a meme is easier and cheaper than producing a full advertising campaign. Memes also have the potential to go viral, yielding an impressive return.
- Brand Recognition: Memes can be highly memorable, which can improve your brand recognition.
Examples Of Brands Using Meme Marketing
Here are some notable examples of brands that successfully implement memes in their marketing strategy:
- Duolingo: The passive-aggressive owl has become a relatable and memorable TikTok character who comically guilt-trips users into learning.
- Gucci: The brand often blends high fashion with relatable internet humor. In the #TFWGucci campaign, the brand placed luxury objects in everyday scenarios, making it feel more accessible and modern.
- Spotify: The audio giant found a way to turn user data into an annual viral event. With its Spotify Wrapped campaign, the brand provides users with shareable meme-like graphics of their listening habits.
- Wendy’s: The fast food chain is popular for its witty persona on X and Facebook. It sarcastically replies to comments and unapologetically roasts competitors.
How To Implement Meme Marketing: Step-by-Step Guide
This guide will walk you through the essential steps to create and execute a successful meme marketing strategy, from understanding your audience to measuring your campaign’s impact.
Step 1: Strategy and Foundation
Like with anything marketing, strategy is crucial. This phase will help you ensure that your efforts are authentic, targeted, and aligned with your brand’s image and identity.
Understand Your Audience’s Humor
One of the main rules of marketing is understanding your target demographic’s needs and wants. In this case, you need to know what your target demographic/audience finds funny and relatable.
Keep in mind generational differences in humor, too: a meme or quote that resonates with Gen Z may not have the same effect on millennials, and vice versa.
Spend some time on the social media platforms your target audience prefers. Take note of the types of humor they engage with, the meme formats they share, and the cultural, social, and political references they understand and react to.
Analyze your competitors’ social media to see which of their meme posts perform well and why. Notice fonts, imagery, and the color scheme.
Define Your Brand’s Meme Persona
Your brand’s personality is what will dictate the style and type of memes you create. Are you bold and sarcastic, or more wholesome and relatable? Are you blending sarcasm with occasional wholesomeness?
Create guidelines for your meme content that align with your brand’s image. The guidelines should include your brand’s tone of voice, the types of humor to use and avoid, the subjects you mention and avoid, and how your branding will be incorporated (logo, colours, brand name, etc).
Step 2: Create and/or Find Your Memes
With a clear strategy and guidelines in place, you can now focus on the creative aspect of meme marketing. This includes finding trending meme formats and crafting your own unique content.
Find Trending Memes
Memes, just like the internet, move almost as fast as the speed of light. However, some memes are evergreen and continue to resonate with the audience even after several years.
For the most part, though, memes change daily, if not by the hour. Using a meme that is even a few days old can make your brand appear out of touch and irrelevant, so it’s vital to stay up to date with trends.
Regularly explore platforms like TikTok’s “For You” page, Reddit’s r/memes, X, Facebook, and Instagram to see what’s currently trending.
Websites like Know Your Meme are also excellent resources for understanding the origin and context of a meme. Google Trends is also an excellent platform for browsing.
Create Your Content
You have two primary options for meme creation: creating entirely original content or memejacking, which involves adapting a popular meme format to your brand’s message. It is best to have a balanced collection of both.
Memejacking is often the safer, faster, easier, and more effective option. Use free, user-friendly meme generation tools like Canva, Adobe Express, or Imgflip.
These platforms offer templates for popular memes and let you easily add your own customizations, such as text and branding.
Hint: When adding your logo, consider adding it as a subtle watermark – this will make your meme appear less corporate and more approachable.
Step 3: Legal and Ethical Considerations
This phase is more of a precaution to help you avoid potential copyright and intellectual property issues.
Many memes are based on copyrighted images and videos. While “fair use” can sometimes be a defense, it’s a complex legal thing, especially in the commercial world.
To minimize risk, prioritize using meme templates based on stock photos, public-domain historical images, or user-generated content where the creator is not easily identifiable.
Be cautious when using images of celebrities or characters from movies and TV shows. Do your research and obtain proper permissions before posting them.
Step 4: Post Your Memes
Creating a good, engaging meme is only half the battle. The other half is knowing when and where to post it, and how to analyze its success.
Choose the Right Platforms and Timing
Different memes belong on different platforms. An image meme might be perfect for Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit, while a video-based meme might thrive on TikTok, Shorts, and Reels.
While most social media platforms today support both imagery and videos, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee top performance for both formats.
Tailor the meme format to the platform for optimal engagement. Post your memes when your audience is most active online. Use the analytics tools within the social media platforms to determine these peak times.
Measure Your Meme’s Success
Tracking the performance of your memes will help you understand what resonates with your audience and refine your future strategy.
Monitor the following metrics:
- Engagement Rate: Likes, comments, saves, and shares are good indicators of meme success.
- Impressions and Reach: These metrics tell you how many people are seeing your meme.
- Click-Through Rate: If your meme is part ad and includes a CTA, note how many users actually click through.
- Follower Growth: Notice how many new followers your meme campaign brought.
This actionable guide shows you how to integrate meme marketing into your overall strategy, boosting your brand’s relatability and attracting a more engaged audience.
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