How to understand a meme and what types exist
Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2024 3:52 am
Once you know what a meme is, there are no common rules that make it easier to understand the meaning of each one . There is no practical guide, but there are multiple examples and use cases. There is no one way to understand all the memes on the Internet. Some will be simple jokes or just an image with a cheerful message, but most of the time memes are based on :
Irony. They are the longest-lived , as they can function independently of the context or the moment in which we live. In some cases, they can even cross cultural barriers.
Elements of pop culture. These are a more general type of meme that is characterized by establishing a symbiotic relationship with culture . They are nourished by it as much as it is nourished by the collective imagination that uses them as a form of expression.
Cultural niches – music, video games or TV shows, for example – can serve as inspiration for meme creators who will target specific audience segments.
Current trends. These are the most ephemeral , since their life cycle is limited to the present moment and they need to be kept up to date, since otherwise it is difficult to understand them. Their expiration date is immediate and, therefore, the duration of this type of meme is fleeting. A meme can be the trend for days on a social network like Twitter and go viral exponentially without you understanding the reason , and, when you come to understand its references, it becomes obsolete due to the appearance of a new one.
When using or creating memes for your community or strategy, you should keep in mind who they are directed at and for what purpose (spoiler: this resource is usually intended for humor).
One of the leading events on memes in our country is the Memefest , organized ceo email lists by the collective les filles d'Internet at the Centre de Cultura Contemporànea de Barcelona (CCCB), which has just celebrated its third editionntry . It is an increasingly widespread resource and enjoys iron health in the day-to-day life of our social networks. A fixed event on the calendar that, without a doubt, serves to try to understand the memes of the moment, laugh and learn a little more about all that.
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Meme concept - marketing
There are those who argue that a smile is the shortest distance between two people. That is precisely what the creatives of many brands have thought, who have started to design memes to share with their audience .
You can probably think of different marketing campaigns that have relied on this resource to make a message go viral. It is becoming more and more common, but is it really a powerful tool for advertising campaigns ?
Before answering this question, I would like to talk about the concept of meme-marketing . This is the expression used to define a very peculiar content strategy. It is used by brands that decide to take advantage of the versatility of this format to better connect with their audience and spread their message in a simple and effective way, with the support of their networks.
The difference between a meme and a meme-marketing is a question of objectives ; while the point of divergence between the latter and more traditional content is one of reach. Betting on including them in the brand communication strategy is a success, if done correctly, since it can facilitate the approach to the audience in their own “language” (as is the case of Noblex ), improve traffic results (and, if not, ask HipChat ) and even evoke emotions (Virgin Mobile knew how to achieve this successfully more than a decade ago).
Following the example of these brands and many others, which have known how to incorporate memes into their social marketing strategy , expanding your content offering to this format may be an option to consider for your digital marketing campaigns.
Irony. They are the longest-lived , as they can function independently of the context or the moment in which we live. In some cases, they can even cross cultural barriers.
Elements of pop culture. These are a more general type of meme that is characterized by establishing a symbiotic relationship with culture . They are nourished by it as much as it is nourished by the collective imagination that uses them as a form of expression.
Cultural niches – music, video games or TV shows, for example – can serve as inspiration for meme creators who will target specific audience segments.
Current trends. These are the most ephemeral , since their life cycle is limited to the present moment and they need to be kept up to date, since otherwise it is difficult to understand them. Their expiration date is immediate and, therefore, the duration of this type of meme is fleeting. A meme can be the trend for days on a social network like Twitter and go viral exponentially without you understanding the reason , and, when you come to understand its references, it becomes obsolete due to the appearance of a new one.
When using or creating memes for your community or strategy, you should keep in mind who they are directed at and for what purpose (spoiler: this resource is usually intended for humor).
One of the leading events on memes in our country is the Memefest , organized ceo email lists by the collective les filles d'Internet at the Centre de Cultura Contemporànea de Barcelona (CCCB), which has just celebrated its third editionntry . It is an increasingly widespread resource and enjoys iron health in the day-to-day life of our social networks. A fixed event on the calendar that, without a doubt, serves to try to understand the memes of the moment, laugh and learn a little more about all that.
New Call-to-action
Meme concept - marketing
There are those who argue that a smile is the shortest distance between two people. That is precisely what the creatives of many brands have thought, who have started to design memes to share with their audience .
You can probably think of different marketing campaigns that have relied on this resource to make a message go viral. It is becoming more and more common, but is it really a powerful tool for advertising campaigns ?
Before answering this question, I would like to talk about the concept of meme-marketing . This is the expression used to define a very peculiar content strategy. It is used by brands that decide to take advantage of the versatility of this format to better connect with their audience and spread their message in a simple and effective way, with the support of their networks.
The difference between a meme and a meme-marketing is a question of objectives ; while the point of divergence between the latter and more traditional content is one of reach. Betting on including them in the brand communication strategy is a success, if done correctly, since it can facilitate the approach to the audience in their own “language” (as is the case of Noblex ), improve traffic results (and, if not, ask HipChat ) and even evoke emotions (Virgin Mobile knew how to achieve this successfully more than a decade ago).
Following the example of these brands and many others, which have known how to incorporate memes into their social marketing strategy , expanding your content offering to this format may be an option to consider for your digital marketing campaigns.