Meme culture has come a long way since our last feature on the subject. If anything, memes have become an even more effective way to engage with audiences and elevate a company’s brand. It’s no surprise meme marketing is becoming one of the mainstays of digital marketing.

However, as it’s been said, with great power comes great responsibility. Using memes is a great way to put your brand on the map. But it must be focused, to the point, and appropriate. Outdated or out-of-touch content is a sign you don’t know what you’re doing. But more importantly, it can cause severe brand damage. Meme marketing requires a certain level of awareness that only comes from sufficient time spent online.

To ensure an effective meme campaign, your primary concern should be two-fold: remember your audience and your form. After all, memes are not one-size-fits-all. Every meme you create needs to be customized to fit the needs of your target audience. So, try and put your spin on this creative endeavor.

Now, let’s learn about some best practices for successful meme marketing.

1. Understand Who You Wish to Reach

You can trace the origin of memes to the online communities run by millennials. That’s most likely the birthplace of memes. And today, 55% of 13-35-year-olds send memes every week.

Although meme culture is most popular among younger generations, every age group enjoys unique cultural references, especially regarding events and ideas that define specific generations. In other words, your meme marketing needs surgical precision. Identify who exactly you’re talking to and craft your content accordingly.

With the topic of target audience also comes the question of which platform to use. Different generations hang out on specific social media. Research shows that baby Boomers and Gen Xers tend to surf on Facebook.

On the other hand, millennials like Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter). So, when engaging millennials, focus on these platforms. And finally, Gen Z prefers Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok.

As you can see, transferring memes or trends from one platform to another may not translate. Moreover, memes might not always be appropriate based on the context of marketing outreach. For example, memes may detract from your brand identity if included in email newsletters or more focused marketing campaigns.

Each platform has unique advantages, so play to those strengths.  Creating a blanket meme for different formats won’t be effective and signals to audiences that you don’t understand the medium.

Also, as we will soon explain, brands with a strong millennial audience have found great success with memes, often plausibly and authentically. But brands that try too hard or reach too far may not see the same success and might be seen as out of touch.

2. Define Suitable Frequency & Timing

Okay. So, you posted a meme, and it performed well.

Time to post one every day, right?

Wrong!

Memes are funny and effective, but only when used appropriately and in moderation. Getting heavy-handed with meme marketing, especially if it’s not a natural fit for your brand, can send your audience packing. And as you know, keeping and holding an audience’s attention is no easy feat, especially on the internet.

However, feeding them the same snack every day isn’t an effective way to keep them either.

To use another food metaphor, it’s also fair to note that memes are perishable. For example, a Kendall Roy meme designed around HBO’s Succession worked with the series finale but is now seen as a meme dinosaur.

In fact, most memes find success when the creator is riding the wave of a particular, current trend. And these days, that window is becoming shorter. Put another way: no meme trend has an infinite shelf life.

3. Learn from the Success Stories

Don’t believe us?

Ask those companies that have recently thrived with meme marketing.

One example is the leading streaming service Netflix. It even started its own meme page on Instagram under @NetflixisaJoke. With two million followers, the page does a good job of highlighting Netflix’s more comedic content, such as the viral hit I Think You Should Leave. Going further, Netflix has even turned the brand name Netflix is a Joke into a full-fledged comedy festival that now takes place in LA yearly.

Another example can be seen in the film industry with Barbie. Barbie and Oppenheimer were wildly different movies and opened on the same day. So, the internet had its fair share of memes juxtaposing the two movies. The Barbie team played into these memes with Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie posing and sharing their tickets for other summer blockbusters, namely Oppenheimer.

Not only did Barbie add to this meme, but they also started one with their movie posters. The individual character posters were humorous and eye-catching. Knowing that these would inspire memes, they made a website for people to create their own Barbie movie posters. It encouraged people to customize and share their creations. With these creative meme ideas, Barbie broke records at the box office and made history.

These cases are proof that memes aren’t just jokes that live online. More often than not, these viral moments can turn into tangible results, including sales.

4. Make it Your Own

In today’s evolved internet age, memes have become even more prominent and finding the right tone, voice and style is critical. Otherwise, your efforts will be seen as inauthentic and in this day and age, that misstep can be unforgivable. So make it your own, but make it authentic.

Conclusion

Meme marketing comes with many strengths but come with nuances and must be well-understood in order to truly shine in the online world. When used appropriately, it can generate some exciting results, and these tips can help you get your meme campaigns started.

Do you want to collaborate differently with a marketing partner who understands meme culture? Call (210) 826-8899 or email us at INFO@KGBTEXAS.COM. Or, fill out our online contact form.

KGBTexas is a full-service marketing agency with offices in San Antonio and Houston, Texas. Explore our advertising, public relations, public affairs, and crisis management work here. Get a full download of our marketing services, or contact us today to set up a consultation. Our award-winning team of creatives and communications experts are ready to take your brand to the next level.