Kyle Fernandes talks about the power of memes to popularise a web series
Did you know meme pages often have more than seven million followers and a reach that exceeds 20 million? With such a large captive audience, memes are bound to leave an impact on the minds of people. Its popularity further indicates that the consumers of online information are receptive to communication that takes place via crisp, witty, and hilarious posts.
You must be wondering how a meme contributes to the popularity of a web series? Product manufacturers to movie/show producers have been adopting memes to communicate with the audience. Memes are also seen as effective marketing tools during the post-launch period for sustenance and the creation of high recall value. Listed below are some ways through which memes are contributing to this arena.
Contribution to viral communication
The primary usage of memes is to generate awareness among the masses. It usually happens in the pre-launch stage. For instance, before the release of the Netflix original film Bird Box, the marketers used snippets from different scenes to create memes. These humorous content pieces were circulated across social media platforms and soon the film became famous across the internet. People found the templates amusing and were drawn to watch the film like anything. Subsequently, Bird Box received more than 70 million views in the first 24 hours.
Reach a vast target audience
Very often, viewers come across memes based on unfamiliar subjects. Memes have the capacity to intrigue individuals. Piquing their interests, it urges them to dive deeper into the topic. For instance, someone who has not watched a single episode of the Emmy winning series – Schitt’s Creek — can be prompted to watch the show by memes featuring lines by the show’s loved character Moira Rose
Trends 2.0
Trends are not everlasting. They have a limited life cycle; some might be longer than others, but each reaches its maturity and gradually fizzles out. A series, on the other hand, stays on the platform since its very release. In such a case, it is essential to adopt techniques that boost the current craze, adding to the lifespan of the trend. Memes are the best way to achieve this goal.
For instance, if your show is released in April, it might begin to lose its momentum after some time. To avoid this from happening, marketers should use memes featuring famous dialogues and characters, simultaneously creating top-notch recall value. The famous dialogue, “Kabhi kabhi lagta hai apun hi bhagwan hai” from Sacred Games is still making rounds as one of the most loved memes, keeping the show alive in the process.
Ease into the next season
If the time gap between two seasons is more, then memes can efficiently ease into the announcement of the upcoming season. Circulating memes based on the content from preceding seasons before the upcoming one prepares the audience and creates excitement. The viewers are reminded of the previous experience and storyline. As a result, they subconsciously start desiring more of such content. With your viewer base already wanting more, it is an ideal time to announce a new season. Such tactics generate a widespread buzz, and producers do not have to reveal many details about the upcoming episodes, keeping the surprise element intact.
Marketing is a dynamic field. Now and then, a new tool becomes a craze while the others take a back seat. In such a change-centric environment, a successful marketing endeavour capitalises on the popular tool to leave a long-lasting impact. In recent times, memes have emerged as a major component in the secret behind the fame of most products, shows, and services. However, while using memes for the promotion of series, marketers need to be cautious. They need to ensure that their subliminal messages should not reveal too much about the storyline while, at the same time, catering to the taste of a large audience base.
(The author is the CEO & co-founder of MemeChat, a social networking app designed to revolutionise the world of memes.)