What memes can teach us about marketing?
Things go viral with a blast. We create content feed and share it over the web million times a day, and the most spinning videos and memes get attention of billions! Is it the Doge meme, Gangnam Style theme or question in hand, is the dress blue or white after all. Thriving meme-interest is not only laughter and the sooner you’ll realize that, the sooner you can use memes to attract sales.
Market original viral content
One of the most popular ads for Old Spice has become a meme, and versions of a guy sitting on a horse, changing in a flip the sequence of a speech with deep, male voice, has left the internet community wanting more. Remixes and pictures of “the man your man could smell like” have become the meme-classic, based on absurd humor, twisted logic and some well played absurd jokes. Did it make sales? Old Spice (Procter & Gamble Co. to be precise) has gained 8.6% sales, after the campaign ended in 52 weeks. To match the result, you have to be a turned-on player, know what makes people laugh, and most importantly — what makes them share.
And if you can’t, pin to viral
Remember Nyan Cat? There are pop-tarts, that have addressed this colour of food & character. Also, unconventional dancing & animals make it high in meme ratings — funny cats (lolcats, grumpy cat) can build up a information about the offer, Doge meme can describe a product in unique manner. Have a look on the web — if you sell coffee, covfefe meme can be a good starting point for you, and if you share a passion for breakfasts “May I Have Some Öats” will be the perfect funny mention on your site. Small Drake or Running Man Challenge can be a pretty universal thing, but always keep in mind to catch the meme before it’s outdated. Giants like Skittles, Friskies, World of Warcraft have used old memes in a fresher and more brand oriented way — you could try it too!
Some psychology in the meme
Memes base on humor, and we all like to have a little laugh from absurd situations and awkward mistakes. But that’s not it. The catch is in the simplicity of a meme — it’s visual, easy to absorb, and talking about something or someone that everybody is living through. A simple mechanism of recognition affects our brain (“seen it before”, “others like it”) and makes your clients fill as in the game. Not all memes are common to internet users, so if used, might cause a feeling of being a part of something, or cause additional attention of those, that don’t recognize the meme. The best practices show, that you should follow your users in different channels, read what they read, watch what they watch and like what’s likable for them. This way, you’ll know, which memes are sharable among them and track the perfect match for you.
Participation in the news-feed
Another sociological phenomenon behind sharing memes comes from the new media cycle, that allows internet users to participate in the news process. Before widespread internet times, our feed was constructed only with the content delivered by traditional media, and the storytelling was rather limited to the crucial lines, less absorbing & deep. When Social Media made their cut into content manners, we have experienced a boost on quality intakes of average people, we have it at hand and availe for everyone to read the content, share and what’s most important, create the news.
