If your brand image is feeling stale, outdated, impersonal, or simply in need of a refresh, you might be surprised to find that the most interesting and cost-effective solution could come in the shape of a furry or feathery friend. Animal and pet-themed memes are incredibly popular in the world of internet humor, and have pretty much become ingrained in today's digital culture. Using memes in your marketing strategy can convey a massive amount of information about your brand in a compact and creative way. Memes are easily shareable on social media, and their appearance in marketing campaigns can make for some truly engaging content. And when the memes involve animals, they set a warm, fuzzy tone that is sure to resonate with your potential customers on a personal level.
Listed below are some creative ways that animal memes can be used to revitalize any brand image. You'll notice that we used cats and birds (or birbs in internet slang), two of the most popular animals on the internet, in our examples, but feel free to use the animal friends that would work best for your brand and audience. While you’re releasing meme content and developing your brand image, you might even find a new mascot!
1. Identifying what your customer wants.
As we discussed in our last blog post, marketers can now build detailed customer profiles that lend a better understanding of who their customers are and what they're looking for. You can use this valuable data to create a meme that identifies with your audience by stating one of their needs or desires in a witty way. In the example below, we used the image of a cute, but rather bored looking little kitten as she ponders the fact that the old newspaper ads she's laying on aren't that relevant to her (which might be why she's using them as a bed). Then we used a simple message expressing her desires (and our audience's) for some more personalized content:
Look for images of cute animals, animals with expressive faces, or animals in interesting surroundings or situations that match the tone of your statement. Whether you use the meme in a social media post, on your blog, or as part of a campaign, you'll represent that your company not only listens to their customers, but also understands them.
2. Expressing your enthusiasm to get your customer what they want.
This idea would go along great with the first meme mentioned above as a kind of 2-part series. After identifying what your customer is looking for, show them how your product or service is the solution. Use a different animal (of the same species or another) and write the message as an interaction with or response to your first meme:
In this example, the bird in the meme not only notices that the kitten in the first meme is reading advertisements before naptime, but also that she is looking for more personalized content. Then, he identifies her desires as a special, untapped niche worth marketing to. This meme suggests that our brand has a birds-eye view of the digital marketing landscape. We are always on the lookout for trends and are always thinking of ways to improve our market reach. Furthermore, whenever we learn about a new problem that our customers have, we are enthusiastic about figuring out how we can offer the solution, even if its a niche market we've never tried before!
3. Showing your brand's sense of humor.
You can also use memes as a way to engage with your customers on how they view your industry and competition. Showing them that you have a sense of humor about what you and your competitors do will build their trust and help them feel comfortable when they interact with your brand. At the same time, you'll be differentiating yourself in a subtle manner that will make your potential customers feel like you are on their side. Using a specific animal that has an identifiable behavior or personality related to your industry can enhance your message in a way that words alone would not be able to do:
In the meme above, the vultures are making fun of the bird in the second meme for getting all enthusiastic about the prospect of a new niche market. But at the same time, the meme calls out the tendency of marketing and advertising companies to jump on the latest trends. By throwing it out there, you say what your audience may already be thinking and this breaks the ice. Who knows? It might be just the thing they needed to get in contact with you.
Memes can be a really powerful and versatile tool for your brand image, when used the right way. Even in writing this article, we thought of a hundred new ways to tell brand stories through memes. Which furry or feathery friend will you use to engage your audience?
