Meme Marketing – An internet trend or a sustainable marketing strategy?
Marketing
Posted 07 Feb 2024
Social media platforms such as TikTok or Instagram are very fast-moving. Especially new trends appear and disappear at an enormous speed and memes are a classic example of this. New memes show up almost weekly and go viral at immense speed but are just as quickly replaces by new trends. Many companies are taking advantage of this opportunity to create a piece of content that generates millions of clicks. The strategy is simple: a social media post of a currently popular meme is created and provided with its company-specific message. The post can contain a simple punchline, make fun of the competition, or highlight your own company or product.
Especially younger target groups spend a lot of time on social media platforms, of which memes are a large component of the content. Meme posts have a high potential to go viral. Companies such as Netflix or Hubspot are already proving this on their social media accounts. Due to the mostly simple presentation of the videos or images, they appear very approachable and understandable for most users. This goes along with many consumers identifying with the post and therefore the company. There are hardly any rules or guidelines, and posts often go viral because they are not particularly appealing in terms of appearance or content.
Another reason for the current success of this marketing strategy is its ease of sharing. If as social media user enjoys a post, they can send it on to countless people with just a few clicks. In this way, an enormous amount of attention is drawn to the posts – and therefore also to the company.
Is a meme marketing strategy the way to a successful online presence? Although this form of content marketing offers many advantages, there are also disadvantages that need to be considered. In addition to the low cost of creating meme posts and the potential to generate high reach, companies can also demonstrate their trends with current, viral memes. However, this approach also involves risks: Jumping on the train of a viral hit on the Internet too late, can quickly give the impression of excessive demands or even greed in the marketing department. There is also a risk of misunderstandings and a lack of seriousness with this form of online marketing. Humor is subjective for everyone, which is why memes are often a balancing act between humorous perception and offensiveness. An inflationary use of memes can lead to a brand no longer being considered as serious by the public. It is therefore, especially in certain industries, important to pay attention to whether and how often this methodology should be used.
Even if the requirements for meme marketing are not as high as for other marketing strategies, there are still essential points that determine success or failure.
1. Authenticity
While planning a meme post, the highest priority should always be given to authenticity. It is important that the meaning and origin of the internet trend match the ideology and vision of your own brand. Otherwise, this can lead to lasting dame to your image.
2. Pay attention to current trends
Social media platforms and their trends are very continuous. It is therefore particularly important to recognize new developments at an early stage in order to be able to react quickly. This observation usually requires a great deal of effort and a certain amount of expertise in the field of online marketing. At the start of a meme marketing campaign, it therefore makes sense to contact a marketing agency.
We would be happy to help you! Get in touch with us at vibes@hbi.de
3. Flexibility
It is difficult to predict which memes and posts will go viral on social media, so it is important to always be able to adapt in order to integrate new trends in your strategy.
The possibilities of social media marketing are almost limitless and meme marketing offers another option. Even if there a definitely dangers and such a campaign can easily backfire, the meme marketing strategy has great potential in the fast-moving industry. If the few basic conditions are fulfilled, nothing stands in the way of creative ideas for presenting your own brand on social media. We can look forward to discovering how successful meme marketing will be in the future.
Communication Advisor at HBI Communication Helga Bailey GmbH
Kilian Schätzke has been supporting HBI in the areas of PR and marketing since 2024.
As a Communication Advisor, his responsibilities include the creation of professional articles & the conceptualization of social media postings.
Furthermore, Kilian is involved in directly assisting our client work.
