Not Just for Laughs: The Meme Advertising Takeover

Remember when memes are born? When it repeat been shared with all kind of variations across the chaotic internet. Created when it unusually funny but at the same time make senses and sharable. Nowadays memes no longer just inside jokes that been shared around. It transform into the ultimate marketing weapons which elevate digital advertisement to whole new level. It no longer just a passing trend which could slowly die down. It also doesn’t matter you’re annoyed for seeing pepe frogs again as it already having the money making face all over.

Memes, Born to be Adopted by Capitalism

Once upon time, forums sites like Reddit and 4chan full on sharing low-res images, GIFS, screenshots or recreation of those that been passed from user to different user. Poking fun with everything without any real agenda, just full on creativity (and absurd stupidity). So are memes born to this world through such way.

Back to now, meme accounts on major social medias are commanding high cost just for a single post. Behind all this are teams of meme makers who quietly crafting paid content that looks and feels like the real deal. No longer as accidental as last time where memes created with money on mind. It’s the monetization of relatability.

How Meme Advertising Works

Meme as a form of digital advertising isn’t always obvious and it was kept that way. The most effectiveness of meme is staying on being subtle, indirectly poking but stay on as relatable joke, like those who knows will knows.

Let’s see some of the formats of memes:

• Beginner meme that just casually features all items from a brand. Usually featuring 4 panels comic style.

• Relationship meme (probably the most popular one) which feature side by side image, the classic meme.

• A TikTok skit alike with meme-style editing, end it with sarcastic ways.

And let’s see the key ingredients:

• Familiar meme formats (success kid, distracted boyfriend).

• keep the tone as casual as possible while also self-related.

• Subtle branding. Watermarks, tags, hashtags.

Audience are being sold without realizing it, which making memes such a powerful form of digital advertising, rather than some usual or simply market the product in direct way.

Why It Works in Digital Advertisement

As organic as it can be, memes don’t interrupt. It rather blends well with our daily lives. Tapping well into our emotions, through Monday blues and our hectic lives. It also happened to be so sharables, which just multiplying ad reach without spending anything. With minor edits (some may share out the meme templates), then it’s good to go, share it out and get some likes! As it also bypassing boring ads fatigue that trigger often after seeing too much. Memes can be culturally related too as some creative minds could twist the templates and even localize it.

The Rise of Meme Agencies

An entire new digital advertisement industry has sprout just because of memes. More and more agencies now offering meme creation and distribution services. They make the brands advertise with a not so direct ways but still called it advertising.

While managing several meme accounts. they injected brand contents in some regular jokes. If it successfully goes viral, it will be riding on a big wave without even need to boost a single post. Such is the way of current digital advertisement, by infiltrating regular jokes.

Not Everything are Good for Laugh

Yes, when paid memes aren’t disclosed as advertisement, they are at risk of breaking the guidelines. As in Instagram, ads require to have the hashtags as #ad or #sponsored. This leading to potential issues such as :

• Deceptive content: May feels like falls into advertisement trap.

• Cultural hijacking: It could happened if brands just doesn’t understand much on the memes format.

• Cringe factor: Try hard? Get roasted.

This is internet and they’re fast to call out anything that feels fake. One wrong move can backfired real bad. Not even worth it for such a short-term reach.

Memes and the Future

As currently even known as cultural digital currency, memes are everywhere and some could have a long timespan or even resurgence. But similar to all jokes, it could be forgotten as well. When what used to be traditional ads can soon be outgrow itself to be viral trends. Now the entire memes culture could follow even by introducing merch related to the memes. When use well, it able to deliver serious result.