Power of Meme Marketing - how  brands use Memes for better engagement

Ankit Mor, Co-Founder, RVCJ Media sheds light on how brands are leveraging meme marketing to reach out and connect with audiences.

Many people spend more time on social media today than they do watching television. This means that for a brand to stand out amidst an ocean of other brands it needs a clever and catchy meme marketing strategy. Memes resonate especially well with younger audiences but also make an impact on middle-aged and older audiences. What makes meme’s especially useful to brands is that meme’s enable brands to visually associate their brand with a clever video or image that is humorous and catchy and which helps enhance the brand's image. A successful meme may even say out loud something about a brand that has as yet been left unsaid.

It is imperative that a meme that is associated with a brand be relevant to the brand. When a meme goes viral, meaning it is shared by thousands of people on social media, it is usually good for the brand associated with the meme. However, there are also certain risks for brands that come with creating memes and so brands must learn how to best navigate while promoting their brands using memes.

A Wholesome Balancing Act

Much of what is available on the internet today is distasteful. Brands have to recognize that being provocative may not always be the best way to make an impact on an audience. A meme is not supposed to be an advertisement and is not supposed to promote a brand; it is instead expected to engage users with a brand by being funny, clever or irrelevant. The best way a brand can do this is by creating meme’s that are clean and can be enjoyed by an entire family. Meme’s that are provocative may not be appropriate when engaging with ordinary viewers.

Taking a Niche Message to the Masses

A meme for a niche luxury brand will find it challenging to create a meme that a wide audience can relate to. Remember that for a meme to be successful many people must find it relatable and share it with others. For a niche and premier brand to wisely use meme’s, it must learn to cleverly create meme’s that meet its requirements and that make an impact on a wide audience.

Also Read: Brands get trendy with Sacred Games memes!

Create a Thin Line between Promotion and Engagement

Many brands have to learn to walk the thin line between engagement and promotion. For instance, brands that want to reach out to Millennials should know that many millennials don't trust advertisements that promote directly. So brand must follow a nuanced approach if it wants to add its logo to a meme or if it decides to mention an attractive discount offer in the first 10 seconds of a video. Often a meme that seems overtly promotional is far less likely to be shared than one that is more engaging. A brand must keep this in mind before it decides to create a meme.

Successful memes have been created around popular movies such as Bahubali or Sanju and even around famous personalities.

Be Quick on Your Feet

Remaining fresh and relevant is crucial to success in making memes. A brand should have access to a creative team that is able to quickly create content on the most topical happenings. This means that the content team responsible for creating memes should be able to assess what images or happenings viewers are most likely to recognize and then build memes around the same. An advantage of creating meme’s on the most topical issues is that they are more likely to be the latest salvo of meme’s that are shared across social media. For instance, creating a meme about a recently concluded sporting event or the newest unexpected business news requires an astute team that knows how to what kind of news its audience is likely to follow. Building a successful meme around such topical news is a clever way for brands to engage audiences and to tell a story about the brand.

The use of memes is likely to continue to play a key role in marketing especially as the younger generation is less moved by direct marketing and instead is responsive to engaging content that challenges and entertains.

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