Moment marketing has been known to capture the audience’s attention well and to become a part of cultural moments, be it a meme, a song, or an event, brands have to hit the bull's eye. Internet in itself is a tornado of events happening at the same time and any event can supersede the last one, so the time window in which to post and inject their own brand’s flavor to make it their own is a tricky recipe. Brands that are constantly participating in the moment marketing phenomenon get to be at the top of audiences' attention.
69% of online consumers concur on the fact that the timing of an advertisement matters when it comes to their perception of the brand. Moment marketing is essentially brands jumping on an already moving train to gain traction. The brands get to utilize the template of the meme or cultural moment to subliminally slide in the brand’s message when audiences are most receptive to hearing. Brands that have struck when the iron is hot will reap the benefits of catching the audience's attention.
From viral memes like- 'Just looking like a wow' to India‘s lunar success with the Chandrayan-3 mission, the internet saw many noteworthy moments in 2023 and brands seized the opportunity to give their takes.
Here are a few viral moments of 2023 that brands paid special attention to :
Musical mania
Ap Dhillon became an internet sensation with his songs being replicated by netizens. At a point, visiting the internet would be impossible without listening to Dhillon’s songs. Brands joined the bandwagon and appreciated the famous songs.
Shaadi.com and boAt highlighted AP Dhillon’s songs- ‘With You’ and ‘Kendi Hundi’.
There are two types of people
— Shaadi.com (@ShaadiDotCom) August 17, 2023
Those who have imagined themselves in an AP Dhillon video ♥️
Those who are lying 👀#withyou #ApDhillon
No one:
— boAt (@RockWithboAt) September 13, 2023
iPhone users: Kendi hundi 'C'🎶☠️#AppleEvent
World Cup Whirlwind
World Cup 2023 was hosted in India which skyrocketed the viewership numbers and provided a golden opportunity for brands. Brands celebrated India’s stellar performance with creatives.
Delivery platform Swiggy shared its streak of creatives highlighting India’s win in every match and the unfortunate finale loss.
Zomato showcased the relationship between food and cricket with its creative.
when you placed your order 5 minutes ago but it hasn't arrived yet#INDvsPAK #MatchHoTohZomato pic.twitter.com/wtSG8D3lBF
— zomato (@zomato) October 14, 2023
‘Just looking like a wow’
The catchphrase went viral after Jasmeen Kaur posted a video selling clothes, which is now an iconic catchphrase. Users and even celebrities like model Ashley Graham and Deepika Padukone played around and had fun imitating the video. Brands also took up the opportunity to make their versions of ‘Just looking like a Wow’
Amul put out the Amul Girl version of ‘Just looking like a Wow’
What does Orry do?
Orry made his internet debut by popping up in party pictures with famous actresses like Sara Ali Khan, Jahnavi Kapoor, and many more. These photos piqued interest amongst netizens. What does Orry do? became a question in everyone’s minds. People commented on posts of said celebrities asking what he does to enjoy friendships with famous actresses. Orry became the epicenter of the internet’s obsession which led to Orry collaborating with brands. Before all that, brands shared hilarious posts commenting on the ‘I live. I am a liver’ comment by Orry that went viral.
Farmley shared its Orry moment.
I make all of your solo dates worth it, I am Date Bites. https://t.co/cLlejyBQ4o pic.twitter.com/OQXAbUFt3E
— Farmley (@FarmleyIn) November 23, 2023
Domino’s answer to ‘I live. I am a liver’
I order Domino's, I'm a Dominator#DominosIndia
— dominos_india (@dominos_india) November 24, 2023
AI campaigns
AI is an instrument of new-wave marketing. Brands curated their AI campaigns with Photoshop and making bigger-than-life ads. Brands like Maybelline and Zara have put out their iconic AI campaigns and Indian brands have also taken heed of this international phenomenon. Brands have utilized iconic spots in their AI campaigns to be relatable and connect more with audiences.
Ajio launched their ‘House of Ethnics’ with the Taj Mahal in the background.
Koffee with Karan cup meandered through the streets of Mumbai.
Haldiram’s dropped presents with its AI campaign.
Neeraj Chopra's win
Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian to win Gold at the World Athletics Championships. Chopra’s win became a moment of pride for the entire nation. Brands joined in congratulating Chopra’s win with their creatives along with the entire nation.
Paytm celebrated the swiftness of Neeraj Chopra in making records.
Parle-G congratulated Neeraj Chopra.
India touched the moon with Chandrayan
Chandrayan 3 mission put India in the exclusive club of countries -USA, Russia, China- by landing on the lunar surface. India landed on the never-explored southern part of the moon evoking extreme pride in the capabilities of ISRO. The entire nation rejoiced and displayed their pride on the internet opening the door for brands to join the conversation.
Happydent gave a glimpse of the lunar mission with its creativity.
Mumbai Police celebrated ISRO's efforts.
Barbie vs Oppenheimer
Barbie vs Oppenheimer showed the two different sides of cinema with the colors pink and black representing the movies. The movies clashed at the box office catering to the tastebuds of everyone. The clash was iconic but a great victory for cinema. Internet went into a haze of reels, and memes of Barbie vs Oppenheimer. Brands colored the internet with splashes of Pink and Black with their creatives.
Burger King captured the Barbenheimer moment.
#Barbie or #Oppenheimer? Settle this battle at a Burger King near you!#Barbenheimer #BurgerKing #BurgerKingIndia #HomeOfTheWhopper #Settle #battle #VegWhopper #ChocoLavaCake #Barbie #oppenehimer pic.twitter.com/DXQHs11LOR
— BurgerKingIndia (@burgerkingindia) July 21, 2023
Bumble broke the fourth wall and gave props to the marketing team behind Barbie and Oppenheimer.
Met gala 23
Met Gala 2023 was captured through a funny lens with brands designing their own Met Gala memes.
Dunzo made a salt shaker out of Rihanna’s outfit in the hysterical creative.
This is an as-salt on anyone who says salt isn't fashionable. Salt-shaker finally makes a statement in this year's Met Gala!#MetGala #Rihanna #MetGala2023 #Memes #RihannaMetGala pic.twitter.com/pKrVoQsDC6
— Dunzo (@DunzoIt) May 2, 2023
Subway shared its rendition of Rihanna’s outfit.
not anda-dressed at all👀 pic.twitter.com/ieiyWWiTPp
— Subway India (@SubwayIndia) May 2, 2023
Oscars
Oscars 2023 was a monumental occasion with RRR’s ‘Naatu Naatu’ bagging the Best Original Song and ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ winning Best Documentary Short Film. The Oscars win put Indian filmmaking on a global platform for the world to behold. The double Oscar win was all over the internet and brands took the space to make their own creatives.
Fevicol celebrated the ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ win and Netflix danced to the tune of ‘Naatu Naatu’.
Oscar triumphs
— Netflix India (@NetflixIndia) March 13, 2023
Naatu Naatu on the world stage
Qualifying for the WTC final
Petition to declare the rest of today a holiday. There's so much celebrating to do! 🕺💃
Humaare haathiyon ko mila ek aur saathi 🐘
— Fevicol (@StuckByFevicol) March 13, 2023
Congratulations on bringing home the Oscars! #FevicolKaJod #MazbootJod pic.twitter.com/ZLvv2fXQyd
From Barbenheimer to Chandrayaan, brands also became a part of pop-culture and turned small memes into moment marketing trends in 2023.