Memeology 101

“Memeology 101 ” was first published in MARKETING WEEKENDER Issue 339

By Adonymous

Using memes for marketing isn’t something new. But a lot of brands don’t use them, who knows what they’re thinking.

In a world driven by social media and memes, I guess many people still haven’t grasped the full potential of memes yet. Some might think it’s not a fit for their brand image, others might simply be ignorant.

Memes (derived from the Greek word, mimema) are usually images with text, videos, GIFs, or just pieces of text, typically humorous in nature, and are copied and spread rapidly by internet users, often with slight variations – all over the world.

Businesses are always trying to keep up with changing cultural landscapes by adjusting to the tastes and preferences of their target market. Given that the target markets for a majority of businesses around the world are experiencing a shift from the older generations to millennials and Gen Z’s, it only makes sense for them to adopt a style of marketing that they have already embraced and are attracted to.

And what’s the one thing that these segments love? Memes!

Memes have become such a vital part of marketing strategies for brands nowadays that even businesses like Adobe use them, not just to launch a product but turn a profit as well.

How a meme created a global sensation

Remember Salt Bae? Nusret Gökçe, nicknamed Salt Bae, is a Turkish butcher, chef, food entertainer and restaurateur whose technique for preparing and seasoning meat became an Internet meme in January 2017.

In a matter of days, the meme became a sensation, which caused, as of 2021, his chain of luxury steak houses “Nusr-Et” having branches in Turkey, Greece, the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

Sneaky Branding in Memes

A lot of businesses tend to sneak in their brands in memes and get results.

Here are a few for instance:

And why not?

Seriously, why won’t you use memes for marketing? Besides being a cost-effective and time-saving solution to promote your brand, memes are, as mentioned earlier – relatable.

All you need to do is pick a relatable problem, aggravate that problem, and target it all to your audience and see it unfold in ways you never imagined.

Memes are definitely cool, and being cool to their target audience can only help increase a brand’s value by creating that sense of belongingness that may have been absent.

So go ahead, start exploring – sky’s the limit.