We’ve all seen and laughed at internet memes, though we may not have realized that’s what they were at the time. An internet meme is simply a concept that spreads via the internet. Internet memes usually are formed from some social interaction, pop culture reference, or from situations people often find themselves in and are parodied over and over again online, usually spreading through social networks.

Sometimes they come in video form, like “Gangham Style” (which made it all the way to SNL) or Double Rainbow.

Sometimes they come in photo form, like Condescending Wonka or Tebowing.

Sometimes they come in hashtag form, like #firstworldproblems.

With memes, internet users take them and put their own spin on them and then share them online. When a meme catches on, you are likely to see it over and over again for many days in a row, each one slightly tweaked by the person who posted it.

Brands on social channels are always looking for ways to join the conversation and share interesting and relevant content. Jumping in on the meme action is a great way to do this and can result in increased brand exposure to new consumers if it is worthy of sharing.

A great example of an organization jumping onto a popular social media meme is a video that Water is Life created using Haitians reading Twitter posts tagged with #firstworldproblems. “The intention of the ad is to illustrate the vast gulf between the haves in the U.S., tweeting about their heated leather seats, and the have-nots in Haiti, who live in shanty towns and post-earthquake dereliction.” It sparked response on social networks over the weekend–both good and bad–but has brought attention to the organization and effectively made its point.

Smart Water has also gotten into using memes with their spokesperson Jennifer Anniston interacting with memes to “create” a viral video.

There are many, many other examples of brands using memes to leverage exposure of the brand in the online space. Here are some tips for using memes in your brand social channels:

  • Be timely: memes can come on the scene almost as quickly as they entered, often out of circulation within two weeks.  Pay attention to the conversation online and act quickly. Memes are not about high-quality production.
  • Keep your audience in mind: it is easy to be offensive with memes and alienating members of your audience is a possibility. Walk the line carefully.
  • Make sure it is legal: though legal protections for original memes are slim, using images or clips from an original piece, if protected, can result in some backlash.

A brand’s dream would be to create something that becomes a meme on its own. Though you can’t guarantee that a meme will come, just like you can’t guarantee that a video will become viral, you can create content that is entertaining and shareable, increasing the possibility that it could become its own meme.  It could happen: remember Old Spice’s “I’m on a horse”?