Remember the time when we were all confused whether they were called ‘may-mays’? From that point onwards, there has been no turning back and this evolution of meme culture in India has made a great impact on the millennials.
In fact, we have reached a point where making memes has become a profession.
But, where did this meme culture originate from?
How Memes started?
The first rigorous definition of the word ‘meme’ came in Patrick Davison’s 2009 essay The Language of Internet Memes. He says,
“An internet meme is a piece of culture, typically a joke, which gains influence through online transmission.”
Memes in India
Next, let’s explore what goes behind making a meme in the Indian context.
Simple – picking up topical, relevant and relatable templates and combining them with even more relatable captions.
Making relevant memes that speak directly to the youth is an art.
A large portion of meme templates are provided by the film industry, through movie stills. Other templates are picked through topical events happening around the nation.
Are you also wondering what makes memes so effective?
Well, the genius of a meme is that, since it is easily understood, it is perhaps the fastest medium to convey a message in a desirable format.
They are an underrated type of art. Memes can brighten up your seemingly gloomy day.
The relatibility of memes also creates a feeling of belongingness among certain internet users in specific age groups.
Whether they’re used to ranting about socio-political issues, or to talk about their obsessions with celebs, memes are always an easy and funny way for millennials to communicate with each other.
Memes are accessible and have the ability to reach a huge audience within minutes. They can easily instill beliefs more quickly than any other medium. Because of this stage in evolution of meme culture, memes are now being used more than ever for as a marketing tool in India.
The next big thing-meme marketing
Meme marketing is simply using memes in order to increase engagement on social media platforms from millennials and the youth – who are averse to ads.
But…WHY MEMES?
Apart from meme marketing campaigns being comparatively less costlier than traditional ad campaigns, memes also require a lot less tools and machinery which are otherwise required in a traditional ad.
Memes are exceedingly relatable and thus help brands connect with millennials on a very personal level. Generating memes on Instagram and Facebook has started to become an essential part of marketing for brands as they want to stay relevant online.
Being easy to create, and offering a good return, meme marketing has given a unique perspective to advertising, bringing about a revolution in digital marketing.
And Youngun India is one such meme marketing team that is fully utilizing this power of memes in helping brands market their products.
Get in touch today!
Article written by Krishanu Sanyal