Let’s eat grandma vs. Let’s eat, grandma.
The difference is obvious, and so is the importance of clear communication as it is important in marketing too, to communicate the product with the right audience. With us spending a significant portion of the day on the internet and living our lives at the mercy of smartphones, what better way can there be for retailers to communicate other than through digital medium. Meme marketing emerges itself as one of the types when it comes to retailers marketing their products digitally. Meme marketing thus has become the go-to marketing option for many brands in India.
According to a global data insights (2022) report by datareportal.com, India currently has 467 million active social media users among 658 million mobile internet users, with an annual growth of 4.2% in active social media users, India poses itself as one of the fastest digitally growing countries among the world. The same report also claims that among the active social media users, 76.5% are Instagram users followed by Facebook (74.7%), Twitter (44.9%), and Linkedin (37.2%). Memes, circulating at a fast rate over the internet, gain huge popularity on social media platforms. Several brands in India are largely into meme marketing to successfully keep themselves relevant in the minds of their audience. Slim Jim for example, India’s first online hemp lifestyle store started using memes as a part of their marketing strategy even before it was a trend, then Slay coffee, Paws India, Yogabar, etc. are some of the retail brands that use memes regularly as part of their marketing strategy which relates to recent trends or relatable linkages.
With social media usage being hugely dominated by Gen Zs and millennials, memes have become a funny, attractive yet cost-effective way for brands to communicate. Memes are relatable, short, and perfectly compatible with the low attention span of new generations yet carry a great recall potential. To catch up with the constantly evolving scenario in the retail sector, brands need to incorporate a dynamic strategy as well, and meme marketing is just that. It can help brands acquire huge brand value as well as a customer base. Traditional marketing and digital marketing are now becoming simultaneous strategies that brands are adopting, whereas memes on the other side are winning the hearts of the audience, bringing back memories, making people laugh, and bringing customers closer to the brand.
— Sayan Mukhopadhyay
