One key feature of the recent election was the full throated embrace of memes from across the political spectrum. Candidates and parties turned to brain rot memes and diss tracks in an attempt to connect with voters typically removed from mainstream political discussion.
Across politics, advocacy and business, memes have become almost a default part of many social media strategies. But before you start putting text over viral Met Gala images, I think it’s worth pausing to consider: to meme or not to meme?
Firstly, why is everyone meme-ing?
Content that entertains and engages almost always performs better than content that ‘sells’ (whether that be a product or a political idea).
Memes are really just an easy way to create engaging content. Because they’re typically re-used or borrowed formats, it’s faster to create a ‘meme’ than an original, engaging content idea. They’re also the native tongue of the internet so help brands (and political parties) blend in with the content users are already engaging with.
A good meme will do two things…
Embed a message within the meme itself
Drive engagement so that your next piece of (more sales-y) content will show up closer to the top of user’s feeds
The downside of memes
When you zoom out, you start to see that there are some risks to over-relying on memes within a social media strategy.
A meme might perform well as an individual piece of content, but if that’s all your audience sees from you, how does that affect how they perceive your brand?
As an example, let’s look at the Greens’ social media during the recent campaign…
A lot of their communication happened on social media (because of structural media reasons - this isn’t the place for that analysis!)
The way they communicated there was very meme-y. Not because that was all they posted, but because this content was much more likely to achieve significant reach.
Meme content vs serious content performance. Some more serious content also performed well, but majority of high performing posts were meme-y.
If all you see from a political party is memes, does that persuade you to vote for them? Not necessarily. Memes are typically unserious, while the job of governing is inherently a serious one. While the message matters (eg. dental into Medicare = serious), the way you communicate it says something about who you are too (video of the giant toothbrush at the club = unserious).
Now - to be clear - I think the Greens’ struggle to grow their primary vote is far more complex than just their use of memes. But the meme-ification of political campaigning (by all politicians and parties!) has risks as voters fairly question why their local MP seems to spend more time chasing TikTok trends than actually standing up for them in parliament.
As for how this relates to your organisation and strategy: it pays to keep in mind that your brand is simply a collection of perceptions in the mind of your audience. While memes might drive short term engagement, make sure you’re always stepping back to ask:
What is my overall theory of change?
Who do I need to reach?
How do I need to be perceived?
What mix of content will both reach my target audience AND contribute to my goal brand perception?
So to meme or not to meme? It all depends on the answers to those questions.
What’s trending this week?
TikTok formats, viral memes, new Instagram features, audio sounds, or emerging aesthetics: here’s what’s happening online this week
Join Social Sync to keep reading
Want access to trends, must-reads, campaign inspiration and ready-to-use insights? Try our Weekly or Full Sync programs free for 30 days (no credit card required!)
Upgrade