Online marketers often find it challenging to catch the attention of their target audiences with conventional methods of advertising and brand publicity. In a scenario where consumer resistance makes it hard for marketers to get across, using memes can help brands engage their audiences and connect with them more humanly. However, marketers need to understand how to use memes properly to avoid hurting the sensitivities of their audience and their brand image. Some meme marketing bloopers to watch out for:
Using Memes Inappropriately
All memes have specific meanings that may sometimes be very subtle but meaningful to people who understand them. It is, therefore, vital for marketers to create and share memes that they know the meaning of very well. It will help them to not only remain on-brand but also avoid hurting the sensibilities of users with incorrect meanings. If you annoy, irritate, or offend your target audience, you may end up doing your brand a lot of harm. It is due to this reason that you must research and know all possible meanings that a particular meme may have to avoid unintended controversy.
Getting on Board after the Meme Has Peaked
One of the main reasons why memes become viral is that the subject is trending, and everyone wants to have a piece of the action. If you are late in spotting the trend, by the time you have managed to research and create a meme with a great brand fit, the fervor may have passed, and users are simply bored of it. If you think that the excitement has peaked or come close to it, it can be more productive to stop and wait for the next trend to emerge and get going immediately, advises the marketing manager of Meme Scout.
Making It Appear Like an Endorsement
The main intention of meme aficionados is to have fun, typically at the expense of others. They can take umbrage if a brand uses a meme to make the communication seem like an advertisement extolling its virtues. If the users shun you or tear your campaign to shreds on social media, you can end up with a damaged reputation that can take a lot of effort and money to repair.
Violating Usage Rights
Even though it does seem to be a free-for-all in the meme marketing scenario, as a brand marketer, you should remain careful not to get caught plagiarizing content that is the intellectual property of someone else. If you are unlucky, you may get slammed with a meme copyright infringement lawsuit that can take time, effort, and money to settle, according to a Forbes report. If you are sharing memes posted by other users, take the time and the effort to check out the IPR and the terms of service
Conclusion
Memes are great fun, as everyone who appreciates them will agree. However, humor is typically a double-edged sword, and it can be easy to get it wrong. Then, all you have to show for your efforts is hurt sentiments, a litigious situation, irate customers, and a damaged brand image.
