We may receive commissions for affiliate links included in this article. This is a sponsored post. Future Sharks makes no warranties about the statements, facts and/or claims made on this article. These are the opinions of the author. Read our advertising and contributor disclosure here.
Digital marketing changes quickly and keeps adding new forms of infotainment. Competition forces brands to get creative and think of alternative marketing tricks to win over the target audience, which is how we got to the point where memes started playing a major role in digital campaigns.
Memes have become a natural part of the pop culture and it would be foolish not to use them to promote your business. However, some marketers are still skeptical and don’t feel like adding this format to their campaigns.
In this post, I will discuss what makes memes so powerful and present you five cases when memes really augmented traditional marketing. Let’s take a look!
Memes: Definition and Benefits
Before I show you practical examples of memes in digital marketing, I want to discuss this concept and explain what makes it so interesting and full of potential.
By definition, a meme is a virally-transmitted photograph that is embellished with text that pokes fun at a cultural symbol or social idea. It can be made of anything – a popular movie scene, a poster, a photo, etc.
What is important to emphasize is the fact that the audience loves memes. As a matter of fact, some marketers report having a 10 times higher reach on Instagram and Facebook with 60% organic engagement – all thanks to memes.
But it’s not the only benefit of this marketing format. On the contrary, memes can give you a number of other advantages:
- They are viral already: You will rarely ever create a brand new meme. Instead, you will use the content that is already viral and change it just a little bit in order to help your brand stand out.
- Easy to make: There is nothing simpler than making a meme because the Internet is flooded with all sorts of free generators. All you need to do is choose an image that inspires you and write a short line of text to promote your business. You don’t even need to hire the Best Essay or similar content creation agencies because the text is way too short for that.
- Memes are shareable: Being such a popular online phenomenon, memes are extremely shareable. Users love sharing funny posts, so you can expect a meme to drive a lot of engagement.
- They are attractive: Modern consumers love visual content because it’s easy to skim and digest. Memes fit these preferences perfectly as they are simple and everyone can figure them out in a matter of seconds.
However, there is one thing left to mention here. While memes are indeed simple and easy to create, you do have to pay attention and respect the basic principles. First of all, you must know the true meaning of a meme in order to use it in the right context.
Secondly, it needs to be perfectly aligned with the style and expectations of the target audience. Another thing you need to make sure is to react quickly because the majority of memes get lost and forgotten very quickly.
The last advice is to keep it discrete and moderate since. Too many memes could harm your marketing strategy in general and you could end up with tons of negative comments like VelvetJobs.
The Best Examples of Meme Marketing
Now that you understand how memes work, it is time to see the most interesting part of the article. Without further ado, here are the top five examples of memes in digital marketing.
- Ruffles – Perfect steaks
Ruffles would not be the official chip of the NBA without some serious creativity in the marketing domain. They use part of this inspiration to create funny and engaging memes such as the perfect steaks.
Jake Gardner, a marketing manager at Assignment Masters, says the idea is to drive action and inspire the audience to share their grilling fails: “However simple, this meme is actually a powerful driver of user engagement.”
- Denny’s Diner – The biscuit risk
Denny’s, also known as one of the most famous diners in the US, often uses the meme format to make interesting and funny content. Risk it for the biscuit is a perfect example of how a brand can use memes to publish amusing posts on a daily basis without looking too pretentious or promotional.
- Classic Art Memes – Going out
It’s hard to imagine a pair that fits together more appropriately than classic artwork and memes. The combination always brings a delicate dose of humor, which is why we love memes such as Going Out. This meme has it all: a popular image, a sheer simplicity, and a humorous punch line.
- BarkBox – Taxes and loans
BarkBox is yet another brand that creates marketing miracles with memes. They actually turned it into the brand standard, so the audience could hardly imagine BarkBox social accounts without memes. The one about taxes and loans is a clear example of how a viral meme can inspire thousands of likes and hundreds of comments.
- Gucci – Saving money
The meme storm is so strong that it sucks in even premium brand such as Gucci. Although this high-level brand is not considered to be the most suitable for alternative digital marketing formats, it doesn’t stop them from making engaging memes like Saving Money. It’s a creative and bold attempt to approach younger audiences and prove that Gucci belongs to the digital marketing world just like any other brand out there.
Conclusion
There is no easier way to create content and make it go viral than to make a meme. The whole process takes only a few seconds, but it can help your brand raise awareness and generate tons of new fans in a matter of days. In this article, you could learn:
- The concept of a meme along with its benefits
- How to make memes
- 5 stories when memes have helped marketing a lot
This marketing format has incredible marketing potential, so don’t hesitate to use it in your campaigns. And if you have any questions about it, make sure to leave us a comment below!
➡ Looking to get featured on Future Sharks?
