Creating Culture

If there is one common thread in the ever-changing world of digital marketing it’s been the endless pursuit of creating ‘it’. Perhaps you’ve heard or even muttered the phrase, “we need to create an ah-ha moment, generate a game changer or get something to go viral.”

It’s the oldest pursuit applied to the latest medium. Create the next big thing. For those who like to think and converse at a higher level, this is the quest for a meme.

Meme.org sheds some light with a good definition: “A meme is any unit of cultural information, such as a practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another.” A prime example would be how the term “Google” became the common term for people searching the Internet.

While such a noble pursuit is common, when it comes to business, creating a meme like “Googling” is essentially finding marketing’s Holy Grail of a relatively low-cost, high-impact campaign that moves product and creates a social movement.

The Internet provided a new frontier for an increasingly stale advertising industry, which generated a Wild West phenomenon so profound it gave cause to evolve the term meme. Heck, anyone who has sat in a digital marketing agency during the last decade knows of the client calling for a viral video, which is nothing more than the newest way to develop a meme.

Wikipedia (um, what other web authority would you ‘cite’ for this stuff?) describes an Internet meme, “used to describe a concept that spreads swiftly via the Internet. The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although this concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information… Public relations, advertising, and marketing professionals have embraced Internet memes as a form of viral marketing to create marketing “buzz” for their product or service. Internet memes are seen as cost-effective, and because of their (sometimes self-conscious) faddishness, a way to create an image of cleverness or trendiness. Marketers, for example, use Internet memes to create interest in films that would otherwise not generate positive publicity among critics… In simple terms, an Internet meme is an inside joke, that a large number of Internet users are in on.”

Another way to look at it is, a piece of killer content, often a file or link, that gets mentioned across top blogs, amplified throughout social media sites (favorites, likes, etc), forwarded via email to friends and sent in IM messages across desktops and smartphones. All this happens at an alarming pace.

What the content is can vary as wide as the web itself. Common internet memes include inspirational messages, funny jokes, timely gossip, wild rumors, amazing and/or altered images, a compelling website or specific page, video clip, offbeat news story or ‘exclusive’ sneak peeks.

Socially speaking, YouTube video sensations like “Charlie Bit Me” and “Chocolate Rain” added fuel to the web’s capability to self-promote with the unexpected furor of a wild fire. Augment those with a ton of cat images, wedding dances, bizarre mindsets being unleashed through a webcam and endless music parodies and you’ve got the basis of what makes the Internet fantastic, overwhelming, inspiring and nauseating all at the same time.

But these random hits often crossover into the boardrooms of corporations and SMBs seeking marketing’s Holy Grail—a low-cost, high-impact campaign that not only boosts the bottom line but also creates a legendary social movement.

Let’s breakdown how this applies to ways digital marketing agencies and their clients can logically look at creating the next Internet Meme. First, let’s debunk a myth. No agency, traditional or digital, can sit down with a brand over a few cups of coffee and whiteboard and believe with any degree of certainty that they can create something that “goes viral”.

However, there are several items to take into account when making an honest effort as partners to hopefully create something unforgettable. Not all are needed, but a combination of a few is strongly recommended.

Money
Sometimes there is no substitute to having the financial well-being to acquire an audience. Dollars also translate into more opportunities to go to the well, research and optimize.

Strategy
Even a well-funded venture can easily falter if not planned properly. Make sure you know how to define and reach your target audiences, especially those earmarked to spread the word. Keeping your intended meme on brand is also critical ensuring the outcome equals profits as well as popularity.

Creativity
The one thing you cannot survive without is some good old fashion brainpower and savvy. The best concept in the world is meaningless if not without the impact of some means to engage and inspire activity. You must consider current technology and rapidly shifting trends that could often kill a campaign before it goes live.

Time
This one has a few facets. Sometimes just being at the right place at the right time can be all the magic that is needed. On the other hand, understanding time and place is critical to a successful venture. Finally, having the time to do things right is still part and parcel to any advertising effort. Despite every attempt to amend, the digital frontier succumbs to this golden rule time and time again.

If you have some extra time we would appreciate your thoughts on Internet memes. Or, if you prefer just take a look at few top lists out there and let’s debate some of their takes right here.

Top 10 Internet Memes
The Top 35 Internet Memes
Video Memes
Newsweek/Facebook Top 10 Internet Memes