Modern times call for modern marketing solutions. The times when you could get someone to buy a product with a fun song or a rhyme are over. Because people spend so much of their time on social media, marketers need to come up with innovative marketing strategies accordingly.

That means that a good social marketer has to be well-versed in Internet culture and its vast array of references nowadays. It's not just about catchy phrases and attention-grabbing taglines. Marketing agency Nerd Collective writes that for this generation, it's all about humanizing brands by speaking the same language as their target audience.

The young generation grew up with the Internet and smartphones, so satirical images and videos are central to Gen Z's language. We only need to look at today's most popular brand on TikTok: Duolingo. The moment the mascot started to twerk and thirst after Dua Lipa, it went straight to the top as one of the most-followed accounts on TikTok.

Nowadays, people want brands to be authentic, and in many cases, that means self-awareness. Like Ryanair's viral videos on TikTok, where they make fun of their own baggage policies and roast their customers. Marketing with memes and jokes on social media often makes brands relatable, and people appreciate the brands' attempts to empathize with their audience's everyday struggles.

To learn more about how to harness the power of memes for marketing, we contacted the social media guru Peg Fitzpatrick. She's the author of The Art of Social Media and the upcoming The Art Of Small Business Social Media. Peg says that incorporating memes in a marketing campaign can be a great idea. "Memes are a fun, relatable way to connect with your audience, especially on platforms like Instagram and X (Twitter), where humor and quick, digestible content thrive."

Peg explains why the use of memes in marketing can be more effective than other strategies. "They can humanize your brand, making it feel more approachable and in touch with current trends. Plus, memes are highly shareable, which can significantly boost your reach and engagement. However, it's crucial to ensure the memes align with your brand voice and values to maintain authenticity."

There are some things brands should be careful with when trying to reach their target audience through memes. Peg says that the biggest risk of using memes in your marketing campaign can be how quickly some memes become outdated and irrelevant. In other cases, people might also misinterpret them. "A meme that’s funny today might be irrelevant or even offensive tomorrow," she cautions.

"To mitigate this, stay current with trends and be ready to adapt or retire memes as needed," Peg recommends. "It's also important to understand the cultural context of a meme before using it. Research and, if possible, test the meme with a small segment of your audience to gauge reactions. Always aim for humor that aligns with your brand and avoids sensitive topics."

Peg mentions two brands that, in her eyes, are standouts when it comes to using memes to their advantage – Wendy's and Netflix. "Their social media team brilliantly uses memes and witty commentary to engage with their audience, often in real-time," she says about Wendy's.

"[Netflix] consistently use[s] memes to promote their shows in a way that feels genuine and in tune with their audience," she also notes. "Both brands demonstrate how understanding your audience and having a quick, creative response can make meme marketing highly effective."

"Memes are a powerful tool in the right hands," Peg concludes. "The key is to be genuine, stay relevant, and always consider your brand's voice and audience. When done right, memes can be a delightful addition to your marketing strategy, bringing humor and humanity to your brand."

Perhaps one of the best recent examples of genius marketing with memes is the zero-waste brand Bambaw. They harnessed the virality of the recent beef between rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar and used the 'BBL Drizzy' snippet for one of their videos on TikTok with the tagline "Unlike Drake, our products are natural and plastic-free."

The DTC marketing agency applauded this creative tactic, saying that it works because it's culturally relevant, it's bound to generate engagement, and it presents the reason why the brand stands out in the market in a fun way.