By: Joseph Gonzalez
For the past decade or more, memes have become a facet of popular culture. Everyone, including my mother, has seen, laughed at or sent a meme. Random fact: My personal favorite meme is Savage Spongebob.
A new meme comes every month or so and goes viral until another takes over. But, from a public relations perspective, what is the key to memes? I think before we talk about that, it’s important to discuss the balance of comedy.
Comedy is subjective. Not everyone has the same reaction to jokes, just like people don’t have the same taste in food. Truth be told, I’ll never get the appeal of a raisin. Comedy is all about knowing your audience. What do they like? What is the setting? Could this hurt someone's feelings? All these questions should be posed when it comes to jokes, especially when they are used in memes. It’s a delicate balance that can be found.
When done well, memes can be a great way to make a company seem approachable. For example, look at Slim Jim’s Instagram page. The company doesn’t seem like they are out of reach compared to others; however, there is a double-edged sword when a company uses memes. Sometimes it can look like they are only doing it to get views and seem relatable, leaving the company looking insincere. And under no circumstance should you offend your audience. Memes posted on companies should make people chuckle, not boycott you.
There is no set answer to what the key to memes is. However, it is important to know your audience and do some research to see if that tone of voice would for the company. What memes do your demographics like? All these questions can determine if using a meme for a company or organization would work.
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