Fast, effective and viral: how memes seduce marketing and politics
According to the Digital Marketing Institute, these campaigns generate 146% higher engagement rates than other forms of advertising with 72% lower costs
4' min read
Key points
4' min read
In America it has been calledthe battle of the memes. It is fought in the social agon with seamless images that go viral on smartphone screens, but also in the real economy marked by uncertainty because of duties announced and in some cases implemented. Right in the middle of this economic war, a silent army from China has occupied every social outpost, exploiting the enormous advances in artificial intelligence. The aim: to create memes featuring President Trump, Vice-President Vance and billionaire Musk on shoe assembly lines and iPhones. An operation that went viral.
But if geopolitics adopts stylistic features typical of contemporary marketing, companies do not shy away. This time, the American fast food chain Wendy's, a giant with sixty thousand employees and almost seven thousand restaurants around the world and a turnover of $3 billion, found itself at the centre of the meme controversy. The accusation: having relaunched a meme, which went viral, with Katy Perry having just returned to Earth after travelling in space on board Bezos' Blue Origin rocket. An all-female stellar crew took off from Texas and flew for 11 minutes. All accompanied by a not-so-friendly and therefore not at all welcome question to the pop star's fans: "Can we send her back?". That is, back into space.
A potential reputational risk that made the company take action, also because the fans in numbers are not to be underestimated: as aggregated data on the main social platforms exceed 250 million. In short, a connected army. "We always bring a bit of spice to our social content, but we have a deep respect for Katy Perry and her uncommon talent," the company stated via social media.
Memetic marketing
.So current and so anchored in the early social era. Yet this evergreen effect should come as no surprise. "Memetic language is used consistently by governments, political parties and institutions. When this phenomenon began, during the first Trump term, it was a matter of scattered provocations. Journalist Tanner Green effectively called them 'shitpost diplomacy'. Today, however, it is a tried and tested communication strategy, especially for right-wing governments. As for corporations, they rode the meme wave from the very beginning and have never stopped. Perhaps the use of this language has refined over time also due to a generational issue,' says Valentina Tanni, professor of meme culture and aesthetics at John Cabot University in Rome and author of 'Memestetica - Il settembre eterno dell'arte' published by Nero.
Memetic designs that become effective for consumers. "The power of memetic language is undeniable: memes harness humour, speed and the ability to communicate ideas and feelings in a surprisingly precise manner. The most successful ones are able to resonate with the feelings of so many people. These are the ones that connect with users. When we re-share a piece of content, we are in a sense appropriating it, adding our name to a long chain. We join a chorus of voices that convey the same message, reinforcing it,' Tanni points out.
