Memes have evolved beyond internet humor to become effective content for franchise marketing teams. This is because memes are relatable and shareable. Including them within your content mix can serve as a valuable asset for brand's awareness.
Here, we'll examine how you can successfully include memes in your franchise marketing plan. We'll also take a few looks at meme marketing in action, with examples from a few of our favorite franchise brands . . . like this take from Chili's on last summer's hottest meme.
What Is Meme Marketing?
Memes are cultural shorthand. They are quick, witty, and often provide a humorous take on everyday life. Their strength is their relatability, which allows them to spread quickly throughout social media platforms. When it comes to franchise digital marketing efforts, they provide a chance to engage with audiences in a fun and meaningful way.
Not every brand may first see itself as fitting into meme culture, but with the correct strategy, it may work. Memes may give your brand personality, making it more approachable and relatable. Perhaps most famously of all, Wendy's has become known for its funny and snarky tweets.
Timing and tone are crucial in meme marketing effectiveness. It's about finding the proper blend of levity and brand messaging without being insensitive or out of touch. Memes must be timely, capturing current trends or attitudes, and the tone must be consistent with your brand's voice and the current state of affairs. You can see how Skyline Chili strikes this balance well, by mixing evergreen memes along with ones tied to timely events like Father's Day or football season.
As previously shown, restaurants employ memes to highlight brand personality, creating engagement through humor. Of course, some industries dealing with more sensitive topics, such as healthcare or pharmaceuticals must tread carefully with their social feeds. And all brands should veer away from using dated memes, unless you do so ironically.
Seasonal Meme Marketing Examples
Speaking of timeliness and inspired by Skyline, let's talk seasonal marketing. When it comes to franchise digital marketing. As we move through the calendar year, you'll see a few classic memes pop up on your social feeds. These could include some of the following.
Of course, meme marketing can be seasonal and use templated memes like those in the examples above, but it can also be more nuanced. A few examples below show marketing memes that were deployed around the newest season of Bridgerton and the release of Charli XCX's album brat, both of which were massive pop cultural events.
By hopping onboard with trends you see across the zeitgeist, you can expand your marketing meme inventory to be a bit more hip, or as the kids call it, chronically online.
Meme Marketing & Franchise Marketing: A Winning Combination
Memes can be used for more than just engagement; they can drive brand awareness and recall while fostering relationships with your followers. The challenge is to strike a balance between meme content and marketing objectives. Meme marketing can draw attention to promotions, new products, classes, or services.
Authenticity and relatability are essential while making memes. Show your followers that you see them, understand them, and get how they feel about your brand. Solidcore does a great job of this. Their Instagram feed consists of a blend of fitness advice, user generated content, coaches detailing how to do specific moves, and tongue in cheek memes that poke fun at how challenging their classes are.
Having the right assortment of franchise marketing content is critical to get right. Meme marketing offers a way to connect with followers through relatable, funny content. And when balanced with localized, personalized, and informational content, memes can add a little extra charge to your multi-location marketing engine.
Learn how to create a meme using Flamel.ai, as you plan an impactful social content assortment for your franchise!
