Make Money From Viral Memes: How Brands Are Cashing Internet Humor🤑

Satesh singh
Sep 13
13 min read

Internet viral memes, those amusing, viral photos and videos have evolved from jokes to a potent marketing tool. Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist, first used the term "meme" in 1976 to refer to the spread of cultural ideas among individuals. Memes have become a universal language in the digital age.

Meme culture flourished in early online communities like Reddit, giving rise to viral sensations like Grumpy Cat and Distracted Boyfriend. These viral memes quickly took over social media, influencing pop culture, trends, and even viewpoints.

With a clever meme campaign that feels more like a friend's joke than a sales pitch, brands can now break through the clutter and increase engagement and organic buzz in ways that traditional advertising frequently cannot.

Make Money From Viral Memes: How Brands Are Cashing Internet Humor |

A single meme can now reach millions of people thanks to the vast reach of social media sites like Instagram and Twitter. According to one analysis, between 5 and 6 million memes are made daily, demonstrating that viral memes are "not just content, it's conversation".

Because there is a never-ending supply of new jokes, meme culture changes quickly; what is funny now is out of style tomorrow. Creators (and brands) need to remain flexible in order to stay competitive.

The Meme Explosion: Data and Demographics

Social feeds are now dominated by viral memes. According to some statistics, meme culture is very widespread. For example, over 1 million memes are shared daily on Instagram, making humor the platform's "native language." Short, meme-style videos are very popular on TikTok and YouTube Shorts (approximately 70% of TikTok users watch videos that resemble memes).

Viral Memes are particularly popular among Gen Z and Millennials, who grew up online. Indeed, according to 67% of Gen Z, they prefer comedy or meme content on sites like TikTok. According to surveys, 64% of young users say that viewing viral memes makes them feel happier, referring to them as "mood boosters" on a daily basis.

Make Money From Viral Memes: How Brands Are Cashing Internet Humor | harnium | meme year market value

Large marketing numbers result from this widespread adoption. According to a recent industry report, over 80% of influencers will use viral memes in their content by 2025, and roughly 70% of brands will use them in their campaigns. (In other words, celebrities and big businesses are now participating in viral memes, so they are no longer niche.)

According to one figure, meme-based marketing is expected to generate between $4 and $5 billion in ad revenue by 2025. Viral Memes routinely perform better than many other formats in the social content ecosystem.

Memes-based visuals, for instance, can generate about 60% organic engagement, compared to only about 5% for conventional branded graphics, according to analyses. To put it briefly, the viral meme economy is flourishing. . It has become an “industry” of its own, driving traffic, shares, and sales in ways marketers are still learning to measure.

Viral Memes as Marketing Magic: Low Cost, High Impact

Why have viral memes turned into such a powerful tool for marketers? Efficiency, in a nutshell. A popular image or brief video and a clever caption are typically all that is needed to create a meme, which can go viral much more quickly than a well-designed, paid ad.

When a viral meme feels natural in a user's feed, viewers interact with it instead of ignoring it. According to one study, for instance, a typical marketing campaign's click-through rate (CTR) is about 6%, but well-designed meme campaigns have achieved CTRs of about 19%.

Practically speaking, viral memes frequently outperform traditional advertisements on important metrics. According to one study, meme posts had ten times the reach of a standard ad creative. Another found viral memes can produce engagement rates of 60% or more, compared to single-digit engagement on regular posts.

Brands, particularly smaller ones, benefit greatly from this cost-effectiveness. Memes require less production than a full-length ad or a high-budget TV spot. Frequently, a quick observation is transformed into a graphic that can be shared.

Viral Memes can also perform better than sponsored advertisements, according to startups and small businesses. For example, a meme shared 500 times can easily outstrip a costly sponsored post with a few clicks. In other words, a meme can feel like an authentic recommendation coming from peers, which is often more persuasive than a straight-up ad.

The Economics of Meme Marketing: Budgets, ROI, and Agencies

Brands still spend money on strategy, content production, and distribution even with low production costs. Nevertheless, compared to traditional campaigns, these budgets are frequently much smaller. To get significant results, many businesses test with a modest "meme budget."

For example, Indian meme marketing companies that focus on creating and disseminating viral memes divide client expenditures into "lakhs" (hundreds of thousands of rupees) as opposed to crores. The Bangalore, India-based WLDD agency, which became a "million-dollar company" in a matter of years [19], counsels brands on how to engage with meme culture.

Its case studies demonstrate how small investments can result in enormous returns: the Netflix/"Scam 1992" meme blitz we discussed cost only lakhs of rupees, but it generated millions of views, and another set of viral memes centered around "Mirzapur" garnered over 300 million engagements at a cost per impression of just ₹0.033.

Brands engagement VS cost | viral meme marketing | harnium

Brands usually consider viral memes to be a part of their social media or content marketing budget. They might set aside a small portion of the digital budget for campaigns centered around viral memes. The ROI model is important. Viral Memes' high shareability makes engagement metrics a useful tool for assessing return on investment.

According to a recent analysis, brands should consider downstream actions (such as site clicks, sign-ups, or conversions from a meme post), reach/impressions (the number of people who saw it), and likes/shares (a way to gauge virality).

Meme economics also heavily relies on influencer agencies and partnerships. Some brands hire experts because they don't have enough meme talent in-house. There are now meme marketing agencies in many markets that will create memes for you or base campaigns on popular formats. Others depend on young teams or social media managers who are immersed in meme culture.

In India, agencies even list different budget tiers for meme campaigns, ranging from less than 3 lakhs to more than 10 lakhs. To create content fast, big businesses occasionally collaborate with creative agencies or create "meme teams." For instance, Netflix India supports comic book creators in addition to posting on its corporate channel. Influencer partnerships and agencies are also key components of meme economics. Because they lack enough meme talent in-house, some brands hire experts.

From less than 3 lakhs to over 10 lakhs, agencies in India even list various budget tiers for meme campaigns. Large companies sometimes work with creative agencies or form "meme teams" to produce content quickly. For example, Netflix India not only posts on its corporate channel but also helps comic book creators.

Case Studies: Indian Brands Going Viral

India has become a hotbed for meme-driven brand marketing, with many homegrown companies turning humor into engagement gold.

Zomato: This legendary food delivery app is well-known for its witty messaging. Even its smartphone push notifications have become viral memes. Fans share screenshots like "I admit I downloaded the Zomato app just for the hilarious notifications". (One user joked that the only reason they kept Zomato installed was to read its push notifications).
According to industry reports, their pun-filled campaigns often garner between 100,000 and 400,000 views for a single clever notification post. As a result, Zomato's marketing has become free public relations: news sites and meme pages regularly feature Zomato tweets, thereby expanding their audience.
Swiggy: Swiggy, Zomato's primary competitor, has also embraced humor, particularly on social media. In 2021, a well-known campaign called WITASA ("What's in the Ads, Swiggy?") included mysterious billboards with slogans like "Craving a soup?" and "Chalo kuch detox karein."
The campaign became a viral scavenger hunt when users began deciphering these on Instagram and Twitter. Not because Swiggy directly promoted the advertisements, but rather because people were talking about them, this stunt generated a "huge buzz and app downloads".
Viral Memes that are relevant to college students can be found all over Swiggy's Instagram feed ("orders slipping during exams," etc.). As evidenced by Swiggy's cheeky imitation of Netflix's "killer soup" billboard, which read, "Craving soup? Place your order right now.
Netflix India: The streaming behemoth's Indian division is frequently credited with being a master of meme marketing. Although Netflix India invests heavily in creative marketing, it doubled its OOH budget the following year after spending ₹5–6 crore on billboards for Sacred Games; its social persona is based on viral memes and pop culture teasing.
Netflix India shares carousels of memes about its shows on Instagram (for instance, incorporating the popular "Binod" meme into their own content)
Netflix India also works with comedians; Tanmay Bhat and Kusha Kapila host sketch shows on their YouTube channel, which are essentially lengthy memes. By using these strategies, the brand is constantly mentioned without resorting to pushy sales tactics.
CRED: Known for its quirky, meme-infused marketing, CRED is a fintech startup that rewards credit card bill payments. For the 2020–2021 IPL cricket seasons, CRED released a series of humorous advertisements that went viral. People still quote lines from its first ad, "Not Everyone Gets It," which showed Bollywood celebrities trying out for a job.
In a late 2021 follow-up campaign, cricket legend Rahul Dravid played the role of "Indiranagar ka Gunda," shocking viewers by portraying the renownedly composed player as irritable.
In just four days, this advertisement reached 4 million views on YouTube, "quickly becoming a viral sensation, sparking a flurry of viral memes" .According to a media survey, 17% of viewers of the Dravid meme ad remembered it on their own.
These efforts were successful: following the initial IPL campaign, CRED's brand recall surged and its downloads increased 700%.CRED positioned itself as edgy and shareable by fusing humor with nostalgia.
Dunzo: Although this quick-delivery service is not as well-known worldwide, it has developed a peculiar reputation in India thanks to social media posts and notifications.
On Twitter, users frequently repost statements like "Dunzo's notification creativity has peaked" in response to the app's cartoon-style notifications, such as "Your order is going to your happy place." Dunzo regularly employs puns and humor in the local language on social media.

Its lighthearted approach has earned it a cult following among young people in cities, demonstrating that even a logistics startup can use meme-style messaging to come across as approachable and relatable.
Amul: With its recognizable "Amul Girl" advertisements dating back to 1966, the dairy cooperative Amul is a prime example of meme-like marketing.
Amul rarely invests in flashy advertising campaigns; instead, it regularly posts witty commentary on current events (such as politics or cricket matches) on its hoardings and digital platforms.
According to one case study, Amul's approach is "a case study in how to create brand awareness without spending tons on ads". Amul demonstrates that a brand can maintain its presence in headlines and social media feeds without large media budgets by adhering to real-time humor and consistency.
These examples, which include grassroots humor (Amul), nostalgia and narrative (CRED), quick wit (Zomato), and creative content (Netflix), each demonstrate a distinct meme marketing strategy.

They all have one thing in common: making people laugh encourages them to remember and discuss the brand. Customer sentiment always increased rather than decreased, proving that audience insight and genuineness are just as crucial as the meme itself.

Challenges of Viral Meme Marketing: Authenticity and Legal Risks

There are risks associated with meme marketing. Viral Memes are effective because of their humor, irreverence, and speed, but they also carry risks. Since humor is a personal experience, what one group finds humorous may offend another.

A poorly done meme can become a public relations issue, according to one marketing analysis: "Memes often tread a fine line between being clever and being offensive". When a meme appears a day late, there's always the risk of "flying in sick" syndrome. If you use an outdated meme format that the internet has already surpassed, your brand may appear outdated or uninteresting.

copyright indian memes | Make Money From Viral Memes: How Brands Are Cashing Internet Humor | harnium

More gravely, viral memes that make reference to culture or history can backfire; companies have come under fire for unintentionally making fun of delicate subjects or antiquated stereotypes. (For example, misusing a meme related to a tragedy may cause backlash.)

In summary, there is an authenticity trap: audiences will reject a brand if it seems overly forced or abruptly and awkwardly appropriates youth slang. Because of this "authenticity paradox," marketers must have a true understanding of the meme culture they are leveraging.

Copyright and rights issues present another difficulty. A lot of viral memes use music, images, or even photos of strangers that are protected by copyright. Classic memes, such as "Disaster Girl" and "Success Kid," for instance, were inspired by a photographer's photograph of a child; using them for profit may infringe upon copyright or personality rights.

Brands need to exercise caution because if a meme template is owned by an artist or studio, it may not be freely used. International brands have received takedown notices for using memes without permission, and it is dangerous to rely on the legal defense of "fair use" for advertising in the United States and India.

Another challenge is copyright and rights issues. Many viral memes make use of copyright-protected music, images, or even strangers' photos. A photographer's image of a child served as the inspiration for classic memes like "Disaster Girl" and "Success Kid," which may violate copyright or personality rights if used for commercial gain.

Brands must be careful because a meme template may not be freely used if it belongs to an artist or studio. Relying on the legal defense of "fair use" for advertising in the US and India is risky, as international brands have been hit with takedown notices for using memes without authorization.

Lastly, the unpredictable nature of virality poses a risk to businesses. A brand may spend money on a meme in the hopes that it will go viral, but timing, network effects, and pure luck all play a role. It's possible for metrics to rise on one post and then fall on the next.

This complicates forecasting and budgeting for marketing planners. Additionally, a meme cannot be "set" to go viral like a sponsored advertisement; it needs ongoing care and flexibility. The resources (creative and human time) invested may seem squandered if a meme campaign fails, and the brand may even be mocked. Therefore, even though viral memes have a lot to offer, brands need to use caution when it comes to meme marketing

The Future of Meme Marketing: AI, Prediction, and New Communities

AI-Generated Memes: AI tools, such as text predictors and image generators, are already able to generate meme formats and captions. AI is being used by marketers to produce meme variations on a large scale.

For example, according to one prediction, "AI-generated meme formats" and "hyper-personalized meme feeds" will be popular in the years to come. Custom meme-making filters on Instagram or Snapchat are a warning sign. AI could be used by brands to quickly add their own unique twist to a popular meme template.

Experts point out that AI should complement human creativity rather than replace it, as the most effective memes still need timing and cultural awareness.

Trends in Predictive Memes: Analytics will become more intelligent. To predict the next big meme before it goes viral, some platforms and agencies are already developing predictive models.

An AI may identify that a particular image macro is gaining traction by examining social media chatter, enabling brands to plan their content before it becomes extremely popular.

In real life, this might entail companies having "meme playbooks" for virtually live advertising. Small businesses and agencies are discussing "predictive trend spotting" (using machine learning to identify emerging formats) and "AI personalization" (creating viral memes for extremely specific audience segments). Making meme marketing proactive rather than reactive is the aim.

Niche Meme Communities: Hyper-niche meme subcultures are growing in popularity, much like general memes do in the mainstream. There are memes specific to gaming, interest-based forums, college groups, and regional language communities.

These micro-communities will be the focus of future meme marketing campaigns. For instance, a fintech company may capitalize on jokes from startup culture, or a fitness brand may sponsor memes in a bodybuilding forum. Brands will feel more intimate if they customize memes to appeal to specific interests (a statistic even indicates that 61% of users value memes related to their hobbies).

This connects to what we said earlier: the more specialized the meme currency, the more specialized the audience is, and the more loyalty it can foster.

Interactive and Multimedia Memes: The distinction between media and memes is becoming more hazy due to new content formats. These days, Discord stickers, Instagram filters, and TikTok challenges are all somewhat meme like.

Brands may develop gamified meme quizzes or interactive meme experiences, such as filters users can apply to their own videos. Memes for Augmented Reality (AR) might even make an appearance (think of a meme-based AR lens that humorously displays a brand product).

While the fundamental elements of memetic content—sharing and participation—will not change, the formats might (from static images to shorts, to AR experiences).

Standardization and Training: More official guidelines are probably in store as meme marketing gains traction. Even "meme marketing certifications" or courses are anticipated by platforms such as Lummi.ai to teach this art, which is essentially the science of humor.

Legal frameworks may also change; for example, some platforms may have integrated meme-licensing features or more precise "fair use" rules for advertising. Social media platforms themselves will play a crucial role.

For example, if Twitter's algorithm begins to favor content that is rich in memes (since "60% of viral tweets are meme-based"), the platforms may implement native tools to produce or disseminate memes.

Conclusion

The takeaway for brands is unmistakable: memes are not a passing trend. Businesses that recognize that memes are a new kind of storytelling—concise, humorous, and culturally aware—will be the ones that thrive. Memes provide a direct line to consumers' attention in a future where they are disinterested in traditional advertisements, particularly Gen Z and beyond.

Many analysts predict that, if done correctly, memes will be a standard component of digital strategy by 2025. Understanding which memes to use, how to modify them to fit your brand voice, and how to gauge their effectiveness are all part of developing cultural fluency.

References

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