DIY Meme Marketing: 4 Steps to an Effective Campaign

There’s a satisfaction that comes with doing things yourself. That’s why nothing gets me more excited than a good DIY project. In my last post I introduced you to memes, provided some examples of popular memes, and shared why memes work for marketing.

In this post I will share tips on how YOU can create a meme marketing campaign by taking inspiration from the common elements of great memes. 

Caution: Memes cannot be forced. If you put something out there and it doesn’t catch on, don’t try to force people to pay attention to it. The best memes become popular organically. In other words, stop trying to make “fetch” happen.

DIY Meme Marketing

You’ll Need:

An idea that is:

• Creative
• Humorous and/or witty
• Memorable
• Easy to mutate or remix
• Relatable

Stimulating visuals

Good timing

Mediums optimized for social sharing

Dash of luck: Let’s be honest. There’s no absolute guarantee that your campaign will become a “true” meme.

Optional: Snark.

How to:

Step 1: Get an idea

The first thing you’ll need is an idea. Not only should your idea meet the elements above, it also should reflect your brand in some way. It is important to think about the message you want to send. When it comes to meme marketing, and marketing in general, campaigns should never be “one size fits all.”

As stated in my first post you can either (a) “memejack” by remixing a meme that is already popular, or you can (b) create your own from scratch.

[Image: Sh*tGirlsSay]

One of my favorite memes is the, “Sh*t Girls Say” video series created by Toronto-based comics Graydon Sheppard and Kyle Humphrey. The first video in the series debuted in December 2011, however the phenomenon actually began in April 2011 with the @Sh*tGirlsSay Twitter account.

“Sh*t Girls Say” is an example of memejacking gone extremely well. People started talking “sh*t” before “Sh*t Girls Say” with “Sh*tThatSiriSays” and “Sh*tMyDadSays” which became a television by the same title starring William Shatner. None of these series are related.

The guys behind “Sh*t Girls Say” have done extremely well for themselves. Their series has over 30 million YouTube views, countless parodies, more than 1.5 million followers on Twitter and a book coming out this fall entitled, you guessed it…”Sh*t Girls Say.”

Here’s what you should take from their success:

• Be relatable: You want people to see themselves in what you do. The best quality about the “Sh*t Girls Say” videos is that people can watch them and immediately relate parts of it to either themselves or people they know. Once the connections are made they get shared around social networks.
• If you can’t be relatable then be mutable: Those who couldn’t fully relate to “Sh*tGirlsSay” made their own parodies. One of the most popular parodies is Chescaleigh’s “Sh*t White Girls Say…to Black Girls” which has more than 9 million views on YouTube.
• Sometimes the funniest things happen in real life. You don’t have to delve too deep into your imagination for inspiration. Turn real-life experiences into marketing gold.

 

[Image: TheAppleGoogle]

Apple’s “Get a Mac” campaign is a good example of meme marketing. Marketing is all about distinguishing your brand from the others. The two actors in these commercials posed as visual representations of each brand. Apple portrayed their brand as simple and hip while portraying PC as bland, highlighting its problems. In 2010, Adweek declared this campaign as the “best advertising campaign of the first decade of the new century.” Companies such as Novell and T- Mobile have parodied this campaign since its debut in 2006.

Takeaways from this campaign:

• You don’t need a big budget to make a big difference.
• You can address your competitors’ faults without being obnoxious or rude.
• Pay attention to details: Apple made sure everything presented conveyed the right message. This is evident in their choice of actors as well as their clothing choices for both actors.

Step 2: Determine the best medium for your idea

Once you have your idea you need to determine the best way to realize it. Will it be a commercial online or on television? Will it be a song or an image? Will it be a web series or website? Will it be a Twitter account or a hashtag? Nowadays there are more ways than ever to get your brand out there. Choose the medium that works best for you.

You can always start off with one medium and move on to others as time progresses. Remember “Sh*t Girls Say” was a twitter account before it became a web series.

Step 3: Timing is everything

Now that you have an idea and a medium you need to determine the best time to promote your campaign. Timing is everything when it comes to meme marketing.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself when developing your meme marketing campaign:

1. Does this idea need to be expressed?
2. Does this idea need to be expressed by me?
3. Does this idea need to be expressed by me right now?

Your choice in timing will determine how quickly your idea spreads and mutates. Without good timing a good idea may never become a good meme.

Good meme campaigns strive for longevity. When a meme survives over a long period of time it can be mutated and remixed more thus increasing its overall popularity. “Dancing Baby” is a prime example of this. Although it started as a viral video it became a meme over time.

As Heidi Klum says, “One day you’re in and the next day you’re out.” So again, timing is everything.

Step 4: Share It

The final step in creating a meme marketing campaign is to infect your networks with your idea by sharing it.

There are many ways to share your idea with the world. It’s up to you to choose the best method for your medium. For example, you can share your television commercial on YouTube, or your image on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, or Tumblr. There are so many options at your disposal.

[Image: Reese’s Puffs]

Reese’s has embraced meme marketing with the promotion of their Reese’s Puffs Cereal. They have used numerous memes to distinguish their brand online. Tumblr and Facebook are instrumental in their meme marketing campaign.

Once shared your idea is at the mercy of the people. It is up to them to determine whether they like it enough to mutate it and share it with their networks.

There you have it, your own DIY Meme Marketing campaign.

The next post in this series will be a case study of a current meme marketing campaign.

Until then, let’s chat.  

What are some of your favorite meme marketing campaigns?

As always, I’ll see you in the comments section.