Brands and memes

Memes have become the inside jokes everyone is a part of. They are artistic media with no origin. They are the folk songs of our era.

When the Ice Bucket Challenge gained steam in 2014 to raise awareness for ALS, brands jumped on the opportunity to raise awareness for, well, their brands. Brands such as Starbucks and Best Buy were criticized for taking advantage of the event as an advertising opportunity (Hsu, 2018). In one case, Samsung dumped water on their latest phone to advertise its water resistance. Some saw it as exploitative (2018).

Is there irony in a brand using a meme to call out a brand for unethically using a meme? (Hsu, 2018)

Of course, exploiting a cultural meme isn't always met with backlash. A scroll through Arby's' Facebook page shows a number of times they have used anime, video games, LEGO, and other kinds of pop culture to advertise their brand. The consistency with which Arby's targets "nerd culture" seems to indicate their sincerity in their approach. It almost seems as though the Facebook page is run by an individual rather than a brand. And while this sort of marketing targets a rather niche audience, they also have other forms of marketing (TV, print, etc.) that target wider audiences.

In addition, brands have seen a certain amount of success when making use of benign memes and current events in their marketing (Hso, 2018). That being said, brands would make better use of meme and current events if they offer their own unique spin in the marketing piece.

Reference

Chung-Kue (Jennifer) Hsu. (2018). The “borrowed interest” appeal: Brands riding the wave of popular events and memes in the digital age. Journal of Brand Strategy, 7(3), 258–270. Retrieved from https://eds-b-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=48&sid=84c6cb33-87ff-4ef8-b732-27b9c01208d7%40sessionmgr101