Social Media

1. Analyzing Memes and
Their Function in Social
Media Marketing
Kaitlin Mason

2. What is a Meme?
● Quesenberry defines memes as “ideas expressed as visuals, words, and/or
videos that spread on the internet from person to person” (2019, p.225).
● Term coined by Richard Dawkins in The Selfish Gene

3. Questions to ask
● How do companies use memes for social media marketing?
● Does using memes in social media work?
● Does social media marketing equal ROI?

4. How do companies use memes?
● Connect to a younger audience
● Twitter has become the popular choice
● Need to pay attention to what is trending
● Hootsuit - Timing/Network/Relatability

5. The good and the bad

6. Twitter Demographics
● The main thing I wanted to focus on was
age demographics
● Majority is 18-29
● These are the people that are more likely
to be sharing memes and not always trust
advertising

7. Case Study: Wendy’s
● Wendy’s has blown up on Twitter
for their unique take on marketing
● Posts get thousands of retweets
and likes and hundreds of
comments
● 2.88 million followers
● They successfully use memes to
advertise their products
○ Twitch/Fortnite - Burgers
○ Meme - Frosty

8. NodeXl
● Huge conversation
around Fortnite
● Other major brands
joining (@twitch)

9. Case Study: 7-Eleven
● Has 120 thousand
followers, very low
engagement
● Memes feel forced or not
genuine

11. HootSuit Information
● On Instagram alone, 80% of people follow at least one business
● Most people log into their accounts at least one day (Facebook & Instagram
multiple times a day)
● Quicker response - people more likely to buy again (>5 mins = $20)
● Hubspot - 92% of all marketers believe social media increases their business’s
exposure

12. SmartInsights

14. Statista

15. Take Away
● If done correctly, using memes in your social media marketing can increase
exposure which can lead to sales
● Very hard to determine ROI - best to develop a following
● Most people agree it is best to have a social media presence