What is a meme?
Memes, whether from social media or popular characters, often feature text overlaid on existing images. This message is used to highlight the humorous and relevant content of the image.
Memes help provide some sort of social commentary on something, but they are easy to digest, humorous and intuitive. This can be understood with interesting photos and short titles, usually within 25 characters.
What is the history of memes?
The word “meme” was first used long before Facebook and Twitter existed. In 1976, Richard Dawkins wrote a book called The Selfish Gene. This is the term used to describe how cultural trends spread. It may not be a funny image of a cat, but the emotions are exactly the same!
One of the first memes was the dancing babies that took the internet by storm in 1996. If you’re a post-90s kid, you’ll remember the GIFs and videos of Peanut Butter Jelly Time. Regardless, these images and videos spread like wildfire in the early days of the internet.
Over the years, with the launch of Facebook in 2004, the popularity of memes began to soar. Right now, fast forward to today and you’ll see memes everywhere. They decorate workshops, appear in the news, and even become popular board games—what’s your story?
Why are memes so popular?
Spiderman memes are another way for people to share related experiences, and sometimes it’s popular to share with people they’ve never met. Best of all, memes make people ROFL! Science has proven that laughter is contagious, so it only makes sense that memes are so popular.
Today, memes, GIFs, and digital stickers are also very easy to find and use. Since they are part of digital communication, they are seamlessly integrated into the smartphone’s messaging system. If your friends need to laugh, just click on an emoji, GIF, or sticker and it will be sent as text.
Is the meme copyrighted?
Generally speaking, almost all popular memes are copyrighted. Unless the image is classified as a Creative Commons graphic or generally in the public domain, it’s safe to assume that you don’t actually own the right to share it.
It’s also not uncommon for the owners of these images to seek damage for misuse. In fact, Getty Images has recently settled several infringement cases, including “Socially Nasty Penguins.” Of course, the internet is a big place. In short, tracking every instance of a copyrighted image used is like looking for a needle in a haystack. At the end of the day, if you’re crazy about using memes in marketing, it’s a good idea to talk to a lawyer or law firm to find out if it’s allowed. You can also contact the authors directly, if possible.
Should you use memes in your marketing?
As memes and GIFs began to dominate social media, marketers around the world quickly began using them in their campaigns. Some companies struggle with state marketing, while others believe it is wrong.
A few things you should know before you start sharing memes
Memes can work well for brands, but only for those brands who have mastered the basics of using them properly. If you try to use a meme and can’t reach it, you look stupid, at best, you don’t communicate, and at the same time you hurt someone a lot. So, if you are new to memes or want to turn memes into a good business, this guide will help you use memes for marketing.
Their simple shape and humor give memes masculinity and wide appeal. If you are thinking of using memes to promote your brand on social media, you are in good company. As memes have grown in popularity, brands have become increasingly keen to capitalize on their ubiquity and glamour.
Why Memes Work
- Memes are successful because they are “vehicles of culture”. Memes seem to collect our thoughts, emotions and actions in a simple and transferable form, making them perfect for the internet age.
- There are a few things that make memes great for brands:
- They are an easy way to leverage shared knowledge.
- They’re great for humanizing your brand and sharing it on social media with your authentic voice.
- You can easily introduce complex concepts such as brand personality and corporate culture.
- Research shows that they increase audience engagement.
When they see a meme elsewhere, people are more likely to remember your brand.
Some companies have been able to use Spiderman Laugh to bring new energy to their brands, but not all companies that oppose meme space have won.
While there’s no foolproof way to use it, there are a number of ways you can protect yourself from brand-influenced memes that backfire:
Check the rights on the image: It’s important to understand the risk you’re taking, even if the chances of eventually breaking the law are remote.
Have a clear policy: Determine the level of risk your brand is comfortable with and have guidelines that everyone on your team understands and follows. Consider alternatives: If you want to use a specific image but are concerned about possible repercussions, explore alternative paths. For example, you could try licensing an image that you want to be the main part of your marketing campaign.
Know your audience
First, include memes in social marketing to attract viewers. Find out who your brand followers are and what they care about. Do they like to see memes or are they hard to understand?
Your brand’s personality has deep insights into the types of people who follow you on social media and what they expect from you. For example, a meme may be a good choice for a popular brand that appeals to millennial, however if you try to project a more elegant and elegant image, the meme can be inaudible.
