# Brands: To Meme or Not to Meme

- Link: https://chatterblast.com/blog/brands-to-meme-or-not-to-meme/
- Published: 2023-01-19T11:55:17-05:00
- Author: chatterblastteam

With another year under our belts, it’s nice to take a step back and reflect. As
we look back on our accomplishments, our downfalls, and everything in between, it’s
easy to see that a lot happens in the span of a year. This doesn’t only apply to
people, but businesses and brands as well. 

Traditionally, brands go through a rigorous process to find the right voice and 
tone for their social media presence, and oftentimes they stick to what’s safe: 
professional, pointed, and polite. Recently, however, brands have been expanding
their voice across social and engaging more with humor: trends, memes, and so forth(
[think Wendy’s on Twitter](https://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-of-wendys-twitter/mick-jacobs),
or everything [Tushy](https://www.instagram.com/hellotushy/?hl=en) does).

While we love to see brands take a more casual and creative approach on social media,
sometimes it works, but sometimes… things fall short. In the spirit of reflection,
let’s take a look back at some of the best brand involvement in meme culture and
social media trends of 2022, and which brands should’ve just stayed out of it. 

## **Sometimes, Brands Just Get It!**

Brands have started to lighten up a bit on social media and consumers are noticing.
While some were just plain funny, others truly aligned with the already-established
voice and tone of the brand while giving a bit of edge that competitors may not 
have. 

#### **Sony**

Let’s start back in the beginning of 2022, where we saw a surge of users sharing
the “Spiderman pointing” meme.

![](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/WtIqtRSJbOjamf2wwwInUMZyPgLSJlv7KZ3U_yBrYwcbV4vHsOefMmCXIeTcH4_vNqeXL_zL2XpAY8S-
bHNR13-4S2oWs5EKEVlZhqLx3HybftkR70UAw7qcRaAHiGqzha4OQ3txfy3B52QHQzj3HJS6m6Ne19C2ttZzoStM8p6ZFS6leh53xptv7MgXrA)

Luckily for Sony, they were ready to announce the release of _No Way Home,_ the 
latest Spiderman film, for preorder at the same time. This is a perfect example 
of brands capitalizing on a moment that can prove beneficial for them business-wise,
but also show a different side of the brand that may have never been voiced before.
A side that says, “Look at us—we’re in tune with the zeitgeist. We’re relatable.
We’re real people too!” 

> Of course, we got THE meme. [#SpiderManNoWayHome](https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpiderManNoWayHome?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> swings home on Digital March 22 and on 4K UHD & Blu-ray on April 12! 
> Pre-order
> now: [https://t.co/NdIF00TmQm](https://t.co/NdIF00TmQm) [pic.twitter.com/wENrBVfe7S](https://t.co/wENrBVfe7S)
> — Sony Pictures (@SonyPictures) [February 23, 2022](https://twitter.com/SonyPictures/status/1496485006339833856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

#### **McDonalds & Hanes**

Moving into the latter half of 2022, we had a resurgence in brands’ meme usage after
a lull of nothing memorable. The trend I’m about to cover may shock you, but if 
you used Twitter at all back in September, I’ll bet your entire feed was filled 
with brand accounts [Tweeting single words.](https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/latest-twitter-trend-what-is-one-word-tweet-1662385039-1)
While this may seem unfunny, or even useless, this opened up the doors for brands
to engage with users in influx, and it generated A LOT of conversation. 

I use McDonald’s for reference, as they took it literally and honored their mascot,
Ronald McDonald, by simply tweeting “clown.” It’s more creative than something as
blasé as “fries” or “hamburger,” and taps into the already existing love the web
has for clown memes. Engagement was practically guaranteed. 

> clown
> — McDonald's (@McDonalds) [September 1, 2022](https://twitter.com/McDonalds/status/1565449210731892738?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

Then there’s Hanes. This example shows what NOT to do. Hanes commented “underwear”
under McDonalds while their own single word Tweet didn’t do great in terms of numbers.(“
Socks”… really guys? Not funny. Not creative. Not even “whitey tighties”? You can
do better.) 

> socks
> — Hanes (@Hanes) [September 1, 2022](https://twitter.com/Hanes/status/1565449787192770564?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

#### **Chipotle**

It’s corn! While I would rather never hear that phrase again in my life, one little
boy’s cute statement expressing his love for corn had the internet in a state of
hysteria. 

>  [@timmyjefferson836](https://www.tiktok.com/@timmyjefferson836?refer=embed)
> Original Corn song [#corn](https://www.tiktok.com/tag/corn?refer=embed) [#fyp](https://www.tiktok.com/tag/fyp?refer=embed)
> [#funny](https://www.tiktok.com/tag/funny?refer=embed) [#viral](https://www.tiktok.com/tag/viral?refer=embed)
> [#itscorn](https://www.tiktok.com/tag/itscorn?refer=embed) [#kid](https://www.tiktok.com/tag/kid?refer=embed)
> [#song](https://www.tiktok.com/tag/song?refer=embed)
>  [♬ original sound – Timmy Jefferson836](https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7145611915258104622?refer=embed)

Besides this being absolutely adorable, it was also a clear marketing moment for
some brands. Enter, Chipotle:

>  [@chipotle](https://www.tiktok.com/@chipotle?refer=embed)
> Wait for it [#corn](https://www.tiktok.com/tag/corn?refer=embed)
>  [♬ original sound – Chipotle](https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7136280144154774318?refer=embed)

Who doesn’t love Chipotle corn in their burritos and burrito bowls? As simple as
it may seem, Chipotle was fast-moving (a major key to brands using memes successfully)
and recognized the chance to showcase their relevant brand with a trend that already
had everyone’s attention. After seeing that, I’m really craving a nice Thursday 
afternoon pick-me-up, but we must persevere. 

#### **Scrub Daddy (NSFW language ahead!)**

My personal favorite. Again in late 2022, TikTok users were recreating classic brand
jingles with some NSFW filler lines. From the likes of Kohl’s to Lexus, we’ve seen
complete jingle reconfigurations that had people shocked to say the least. 

>  [@luscious_lise](https://www.tiktok.com/@luscious_lise?refer=embed)
> Moms ready to shake that a$$ for some kohls cash 😂😂😂 [#fypage](https://www.tiktok.com/tag/fypage?refer=embed)
> [#kohlscash](https://www.tiktok.com/tag/kohlscash?refer=embed) [#trending](https://www.tiktok.com/tag/trending?refer=embed)
>  [♬ original sound – crayron](https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-7163765462113749803?refer=embed)

Funny, right? Unfortunately Kohl’s didn’t think so, and refused to capitalize on
the moment. 

BUT, have y’all met [Scrub Daddy](https://scrubdaddy.com/)? Not only is this sponge
extremely effective at getting tough food items off of your dishes with ease, they’ve
also got a funny side that they’re not afraid to show. 

>  [@scrubdaddy](https://www.tiktok.com/@scrubdaddy?refer=embed)
> Wowzers! What a great product! 😀. [#scrubdaddy](https://www.tiktok.com/tag/scrubdaddy?refer=embed)
> [#smile](https://www.tiktok.com/tag/smile?refer=embed) [#cleantok](https://www.tiktok.com/tag/cleantok?refer=embed)
> [#cleaningtiktok](https://www.tiktok.com/tag/cleaningtiktok?refer=embed) [#americasfavoritesponge](https://www.tiktok.com/tag/americasfavoritesponge?refer=embed)
> [#scrubdaddycif](https://www.tiktok.com/tag/scrubdaddycif?refer=embed)
>  [♬ Christmas Sleigh Bells Orchestral – Minister_of_SOUND](https://www.tiktok.com/music/Christmas-Sleigh-Bells-Orchestral-7062730596853745697?refer=embed)

Now, I may have a bias towards this brand after spending weeks crafting the perfect
marketing plan for a class during my college days at Temple University, but I truly
think this is genius in terms of knowing your audience and jumping on trends efficiently.
Scrub Daddy was able to hop on a trend and introduce a product line within a week
of the meme going viral. If that’s not an organized creative team, I don’t know 
what is. Except CBM’s, of course. Speaking of…

#### **ChatterBlast Media**

We’ve had our fair share of fun over here at ChatterBlast, jumping on some of the
key memes and trends that took social media by storm last year, so let’s take a 
quick trip down the CBM MEMEory lane (you like what I did there?).

Introducing… Little Miss ChatterBlast! We think she sums up the CBM personality 
quite well. The “Little Miss” meme was everywhere, taking over Instagram feeds and
stories for what felt like weeks. But, that’s the great thing about this meme—its
simplicity can apply to anyone or anything, even brands (if done efficiently, and
of course, in a funny manner!).

![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/moWSf89f59DMvHAALIs-ZtVMi8_IaseEvJKKo0HEwkRtDzRgKzOhJFILq8L2q3BbbF7fkVig8-
Ac8DqZPCLHafWIGQMEzC8UTN_1z5wLGJD5A_IrcTGlb7qHcwywYczLfqPW5iaCqFVgLw-cOj0llMCAdycryElkSzZgBS2J5hWUoYu9o7coRil_hBoEAA)

## **Sometimes, Brands Should Just Stay Out Of It.**

So while many brands have let their guards down and loosened up a bit on social 
media in a positive manner, some just didn’t live up to expectations. 

I’ve already mentioned brands like Hanes who royally failed, but there are more 
brands that tried really hard (almost too hard) to ultimately make us cringe, and
hurt the company’s image overall. One could argue a bad meme will stick in someone’s
memory way longer than a good meme does.

#### **Pabst Blue Ribbon**

PBR is a perfect example of just that. Kicking off Dry January 2022, PBR decided
to spice things up on Twitter with this tweet. 

> Pabst Blue Ribbon is wild [pic.twitter.com/vWF6lHHW4d](https://t.co/vWF6lHHW4d)
> — De'Coldest Tweeter (@OfficiallyGT69) [January 3, 2022](https://twitter.com/OfficiallyGT69/status/1478024327647879169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

I’m sure you can imagine that not going over well. Unfortunately for PBR, Dry January
and the premise of the Tweet DID make sense, the execution just… wasn’t there.

Now, you might be asking “why is it okay for Scrub Daddy to include vulgar humor
in their marketing, but it’s not cool when PBR does it?” Not only has this brand
never displayed this level of “openness” on Twitter, showcasing an abrupt shift 
in tone, but the Tweet itself came out of left field. When mentioning Wendy’s earlier
on, they’re a great example of a brand who has been establishing an edgy, humorous
tone on social media _over time_. Same goes for Scrub Daddy, who not only established
this tone prior, but also hopped on an existing trend that users were already engaged
in. All in all, great effort from PBR, but a bit premature in our book.

#### **DuoLingo**

DuoLingo could’ve been a success story. Their online presence stood out in a positive,
unique way when TikTok users started noticing the comment section of virtually every
viral video had one commenter in common: [a sassy little green owl](https://www.tiktok.com/@bridgxt.lel/video/7186645736690371882).
DuoLingo was doing an excellent job at being present in comment sections, showing
not only do they keep up with trends, but they actually engage with them! “Look,
I’m a brand but with a real human behind the scenes, same as you!” It caused a stir,
in a great way. 

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. While the brand is still very popular,
it’s definitely lost its steam after one particularly off-key comment.

> On what planet does a brand – even [@duolingo](https://twitter.com/duolingo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)–
> think it’s cool to crack jokes about an alleged victim of domestic violence? The
> Depp fandom bubble on TikTok is very real but no brand should get anywhere near
> it. [pic.twitter.com/HvvtrKDoRg](https://t.co/HvvtrKDoRg)
> — Chris Harihar (@ChrisHarihar) [May 18, 2022](https://twitter.com/ChrisHarihar/status/1526772067357675522?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

Edgy is good when the stakes are low, but giving their say in a domestic abuse case?
No further explanation needed for this one. 

#### **Pride Marketing (in general)**

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I felt it was right to highlight this historically“
challenging” holiday for brand marketing: Pride Month. As if brands changing their
logos to feature cute little rainbows for the month of June before promptly going
back to “normal” in July wasn’t enough, some brands took it a step further with 
Pride marketing that was better left in the closet. (I know I said we were reviewing
memes and trends but stick with me here… the LGBTQ+ community is considered a trend
to the majority of brands!)

![](https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/VQdca4DN3DobZUvTV3HSMhBRQfrYri_8ZQmDHw6jgB8y40Xa5Jdrm9X9wkhsJIj_ccyNndubzB-
LD3_M2yOyq8V4MxuRKFcUJjPuW9sERvvOoCU_s527SNJ-oTloVQJNKA7Eo_KC6B-FeEK5nFCAOddGEc5yj8L--
QkHXmKDy6Vxqih8xHwbsXsO9DPybw)

**Exhibit A: AT&T**

> Outside the [@ATT](https://twitter.com/ATT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) store in Boston.
> AT&T has donated $1 million+ to anti-LGBTQ politicians since 2021, including 50K
> to [@GovRonDeSantis](https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) and
> 100K to [@GregAbbott_TX](https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> [https://t.co/eMF3XaNA2w](https://t.co/eMF3XaNA2w) [pic.twitter.com/nk3m1NiVxU](https://t.co/nk3m1NiVxU)
> — Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) [June 3, 2022](https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1532740517854838785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

**Exhibit B: Burger King Austria**

> Burger King Austria made a Pride burger that’s either two tops or two bottoms…
> what in straight hell? [pic.twitter.com/bSl3Cyiq9p](https://t.co/bSl3Cyiq9p)
> — Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) [June 3, 2022](https://twitter.com/JarettSays/status/1532743309575090177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

**[And countless more exhibits.](https://www.sleek-mag.com/article/ridiculous-pride-products/)**

And just so I’m not coming off as a bitter, angry _gay_ _boy, _I’ll highlight one(
1) good example of brands doing Pride marketing well. Take a look at [Fossil, who released a Pride edition collection](https://www.fossil.com/en-us/featured/the-edit/pride/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=G_US_Fossil_DSA_Watches&utm_content=Watches&utm_term=DYNAMIC+SEARCH+ADS&gclid=Cj0KCQiAq5meBhCyARIsAJrtdr6wOy9QCAx5z-FZr8VBLlVD6Rgz5c10f4AaZO_LmbsRBEQIdjYzgHQaAtmYEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds)
of watch faces, straps, etc. with all proceeds going to the Trevor Project for a
minimum donation of $100,000. You go, Fossil! (No actually, this is great!)

So, what was the point of this? Why did Andrew just point out his favorite brands’
use of memes and social media trends? **[BECAUSE IT WORKS](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2018/07/19/more-than-a-trend-meme-marketing-is-here-to-stay/?sh=1d0a883b2487)**,
and more brands need to realize that.

Looking back to 2015, you can find tons of discourse on why brands’ use of memes
and social media trends was a terrible idea strategically. Fast forward to 2022,
and we see brands using it across the board in many different industries with great
success. [If done effectively, and efficiently](https://www.thedrum.com/news/2022/08/09/will-audiences-ever-accept-brands-using-memes-ads)(
that’s a WHOLE different topic) brands could reap the benefits: follows, shares,
engagement, the whole shabang. It’s something familiar and relatable that helps 
you connect with your intended audience—just don’t be like some of the brands I 
mentioned above _*cough*_ Burger King _*cough*_.

![](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/vHletJBfn3Jru5HIS7GjaTPU8Q78qwugZMMVUqkzSFV_E5xM6-
6KIEIZaByhgYrmYmvh-CAXhzTHqe-iotVQhrN2KMvDdSbDTeCoy4tAy6qRbXryewJyu-RO_hDr0gb6uXkBwPETycfjWcQdvgznyrsdEagalSKw3GIBdfs09Vs2zvYcjksLuuR_8gxHHA)