The Meme Series: Part Three - The Good, The Bad and the Ugly of Brand Memes

Marketers often rely on pop culture to create brand awareness and connect with younger consumers. It works in theory, but taking advantage of pop culture (including memes) in a way that doesn’t feel forced or phony is extremely difficult. When executed correctly, brands can develop a playful reputation and killer social media persona. When executed poorly, well…

(Online communities smell fear, and your anguish sustains them.)

Bring on the Internet shame!

In the first post of this series, I described Internet memes as the new inside joke. If brands want their marketing memes to work, then they need to be in on the joke. Think of it as a conversation with friends, and for a good laugh you make a Breaking Bad reference. The joke won’t land unless you’ve seen the show, understand the context, and can do a spot-on Walter White. (Or Saul. Saul is my spirit animal.)

There are brands that have made it happen. They’ve crossed the great digital divide and produced hilarious (and sharable) content that resonates with young consumers. And some have failed. Miserably. In this post I’ll examine one example of successful uh…memeage? And then of course I’ll delve into a big stinker.

Let’s first check out a winning strategy.

In 2010, Snickers developed one of the best campaigns in recent years. Their “Marilyn” Super Bowl commercial (starring Willem Dafoe and Eugene Levy) was even nominated for an Emmy Award. 

Their slogan: You're not you when you're hungry. This copy is straightforward, memorable, and a breeding ground for pop culture references and personal stories. (Their use of celebrities doesn’t hurt either.) Previous commercials include Betty White on the football field, Steven Buscemi as a member of the Brady Bunch, and Aretha Franklyn and Liza Minnelli on a road trip.

They are fantastic commercials, but what do these TV ads have to do with memes? This slogan gave birth to one of the most popular Internet memes of all time. 

(Ha! It never gets old…)

Why is it so successful?

While Snickers did not design this particular meme itself, they did create a joke with the perfect punch line. It’s a gag that works online and in regular conversation. (Who knows how many of us have referenced it.) 

Fans took this idea and ran with it…and so did the brand. Snickers realized the success (and further potential) of the meme trend, and embraced it with snickersmeme.com – a site encouraging users to create their own Snicker’s themed meme. 

(Any brand who figures out a way to use curmudgeon is a hero in my book.)

This level of engagement harks back to Fromm and Garton’s concept of a participation economy. Millennial consumers jumped at the chance to make their own creations, and they have genuine interest in the product. (Who doesn’t love candy?!) Snickers treats their consumers as active partners instead of targets.

Now let’s look at the wrong way to use a meme.

It’s time to talk about Progressive Insurance. You know…good ole Flo. She’s one of the most famous commercial figures to hit the boob tube. (Emphasis on boob. Because it means, “dummy,” not because of uh, well never mind.) Flo has her own Twitter account, there’s a website that teaches you how to dress like Flo. She’s even a Halloween costume.

(The horror…the horror!)

As popular as Flo is, it seems that most people simply can’t stand her. Everyone from The Huffington Post to AdWeek seems to have grown tired of the Flo-centric Progressive ads. Progressive’s brand of “comedy” doesn’t appeal to everyone, but based on Progressive’s increasing sales it must resonate with somebody. Like Snickers, Progressive tried to appeal to the Millennial market by creating their own meme. 

Why it fails?

The cringe is strong in this one. This ad feels so forced. It’s not clever. It clearly panders to Millennials, and it’s too meta. (Nobody likes a meta meme.) Snickers’ meme generation makes it feel like they’re in on the joke, like they belong to the online community. Progressive’s feel like a stranger desperately trying to fit in. There is also no way to interact with this meme. It lacks the participation factor. Fans can’t cocreate a version of their own, and they can’t share a video as easily they could an image. 

(Flo…did you uh, change your hair? And somehow become leader of the free world?) 

Ultimately, it all comes down to this: Marketers and content writers have to be ahead of the curve, and not behind it. Brands need to create their own trends, and not blatantly capitalize on others. Snickers succeeded because it created a clever ad campaign that sparked a meme frenzy. Progressive failed because it tried to exploit a popular fad. You have to create content that is engaging, clever and authentic. Don’t bank on previous trends, try to create your own!

Similarly, you have to align your marketing approach with your message. If your brand message isn’t whimsical, then stay away from the funny meme!  Dove has one of the most successful and engaging campaigns ever created. Their message is about self-esteem and empowerment, and their ads embody that. They’re not trying to be funny, or young. They’re just themselves.

There are other ways to tap into younger markets. A lot of Millennials are involved in social causes and nonprofits. We travel. We’re servers. We farm. We’re parents. Explore our subcultures, and you’ll find your ideal consumer…and how to reach them. 

(Much deep. Very amaze.)