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Humour has been a companion to mankind since the very beginning, and it is here to stay. In contemporary society, we often come across stressful situations wherein we are driven to look for the silver lining, if not for anything else then at least for self-comfort. The good news is, social media has made it very easy for us to look for a cause for smiling in the direst of circumstances. Whether you are habituated to using humor as a defense mechanism or you need to make harmless fun of your employer, the 21st century has given us memes. The secret lies in capitalizing on the trend.
How Did the Meme Scene Come in?
It is human nature to juxtapose two or more things that may or may not be related to each other. The meme culture provides a much-needed escape from the cesspool of corporate norms, and the digital civilization has progressed by such a degree that it is second nature for anyone looking to decompress to subconsciously think of a meme that reflects the situation they are currently in. Creating a meme page dedicated to your boss, your school, or a group of your friends may be rooted in either a borderline endearment or repulsion toward them, but the fact remains that the said memes do not fail to bring a smile to the faces of their beholders.
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The meme templates are universal because the said memes vary purely in context. Speaking of templates, new ones are born every day and night. It is the ones the common man can relate to that grow increasingly popular over time.
The Varieties
Memes can range from images to videos to even audio tracks. The core concept lies in them being attractive to anyone exposed to them. Who needs to drown in loneliness or frustration when they have something simple but stupid to laugh at? Memes can also potentially act as a deterrent to serious mental issues like anxiety and burnout. And that is where the potential of the market lies. Statistically speaking, memes are a consumable resource that is free of the need for manual replenishment as it constantly recycles itself and never grows stale.
They can be safely referred to as the universal language of the current generation. In the Indian context, the meme campaigns by consumer brands are fine-tuned with the audience in mind, which is to say they are targeted individually so that the said consumers can identify with them. The most widely used apps by the populace like Facebook, WhatsApp, and TikTok (for example) act as extremely potent catalysts to this enterprise. Judging from the affected demography in 2020 itself, the most susceptible to the allure are users between 17 and 24 years. That is not to say the rural areas remain unaffected. They too have shown unprecedented interest in meme marketing.
Relying heavily on memes to popularize a brand or product chain can be seen as a risky move, but the key to success lies in staying relevant to present trends. For example, the Vintage Men’s T-Shirt, with the Peace was never an Option Funny Goose Meme, acts as a prime example of it. You need to strive for a perfect balance between humor and relevancy.
Some Effective Pointers To Achieve The Aforementioned Success Are As Follows
Know your consumer through and through
Meme marketing works on a consumer only if it manages to strike a chord within them. Memes that are subtly intellectual and targeted toward a specific factor in the strata of the buyer persona are treasured in their own right. Needless to say, this kind of marketing should not go deeper into the psyche of its target than necessary. The mind is a fragile thing, and words or images too specific to an individual can be potentially damaging to the overall brand reputation. While negative meme marketing is practiced by many, it is harmful in the long run.
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Credibility to context plays a massive role when paired with a popular meme
While drawing laughter is the primary goal of a meme, meme marketing involves needing to go a step further. Merging a brand’s slogan with a meme without making it into a glaring foreign object takes a lot of focus. You just need to stay vigilant that your audience finds it genuinely funny and shares it within and without their social circle. Creativity plays a huge role in this because it is not easy to juxtapose, say, the Call to Action line of a brand without shifting the focus of a meme from its joke.
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Humour, Though this one goes without saying
Jokes are the backbone of a meme. Original jokes are a bonus. Consumers tend to grow emotionally closer to a brand that criticizes itself with a jolly take. The said criticism need not even be about its flaws, it just needs to be catchy. The longer a brand-related meme sticks to the mind of its recipient the higher the chances grow of it being mentioned in social circles. Self-criticizing brands are also seen as bold in the competitive context, resulting in drawing more attention from like-minded thinkers.
The trigger lies in the emotions of the consumer. Use it.
Emotions are an untapped spring of energy. Correctly accessing its handle can provide one with unlimited potential. They are also a resource open to using by meme marketing. Memes can easily be called a language of their own in contemporary commerce, and their rate of success can be boosted exponentially by appropriate emotional appeals. From middle-class parental stereotypes to intimate forms of sibling rivalry, anything that can trigger a laugh or warm memory is a good meme.
Be aggressive but in moderation. Push too hard and you will push them away.
Memes draw out light-heartedness in people. That is the biggest reason why society is growing increasingly dependent on them. Global stress levels are on a steady rise and we are desperately looking for any form of makeshift escape we can grab on to. This is the crack that marketing strategies can exploit. Be assertive with your pitch and takers will multiply by the hour. Or minutes depending on the brand or product line. But aggression is a double-edged blade. The assertion should not test the boundaries of patience. That has never ended well.
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Establish a connection, even if there isn’t one.
It is tough for big brands to indulge in below-the-line marketing. But that doesn't mean they cannot appeal directly to their consumers. One of the finer examples is to concoct a simple quiz that does not have wrong answers per se. No matter what a taker of the quiz chooses, it can be engineered to give them a sense of familiarity.
A shortcut to faster growth is having a personalized network.
One of the fastest-growing networks of entrepreneurs of today’s market is influencers. What makes them perfect for marketing is that they can form a symbiotic relationship with popular brands. The partnership benefits both, as not only does the influencer get a big sponsor but the brand’s reach also increases exponentially.
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Not everyone can grasp the full meaning behind a meme if it is deliberately made to be complex. In such cases, what you need is a certain degree of cultural awareness as well as a sharp cognitive ability to grasp any degree of potential sarcasm present in it. Since they possess just the appropriate streak of competitiveness, the one who is most susceptible to this stratagem of marketing is the average millennial. Furthermore, competitive memes have become a new trend wherein big companies take subtle jabs at their rivals in the market. If nothing else, that keeps both their consumers entertained round the clock. If well-performed, both grow popular at a parallel pace.
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