How Brands Can Tap into Meme Culture品牌如何充分利用模因文化

It was when my second pair of limited-edition Crocs came in the mail that I realised something had changed. The strange part was that my purchase wasn’t made off the back of an ad campaign， there was no influencer flogging them， and there was no easy clickable link to find them. On the contrary， I scoured the internet and bought the shoes after laughing at them in a meme during one of my endless scrolling binges on Instagram.

收到郵寄來的第二雙限量版卡駱馳洞洞鞋時，我才發(fā)現(xiàn)自己變了。說也奇怪，我買這雙鞋的原因既不是看完廣告的沖動，也不是網紅的賣力推銷，更沒有快速購買鏈接讓我去點。正相反，是我自己在沒完沒了刷“照片墻”的時候，刷到了模因里的這雙鞋，笑著笑著就去網上搜索，然后下了單。

It turns out， I’m not alone. 30% of US users reported spending an additional 1–2 hours on social media every day. Though some of that time was spent by many of us connecting with our loved ones and scouring the news to alleviate some of our collective sense of anxious uncertainty， much of it was also taken up by forming new digital behaviours around our everyday shopping.

其實，不止我一個人這么做過。三成美國網民每天會多花一兩個小時刷社交媒體。其間，雖然許多人會花點時間聯(lián)絡愛人朋友，還會了解時事新聞以緩解不確定性帶來的集體焦慮，但是大部分時間都用于養(yǎng)成新的數字化日常購物習慣。

In a very Blade Runner-esque turn， DOOH （digital out-of-home advertising） is on the rise， making digital objects more real-life through new 3D technology and AR. The deal between shopping-mall magnate Brookfield Properties and Aria Network to offer digital AR experiences in physical shopping malls is a testament to this new， more integrated digital and IRL world， making the future of brand communication a whole lot more meme-ified than we could have imagined.

猶如《銀翼殺手》里的情節(jié)變成了現(xiàn)實，數字戶外廣告方興未艾，通過新的三維技術和增強現(xiàn)實技術，讓數字對象變得更為真實。大型購物中心巨頭博楓地產與阿里亞網絡公司的合作就是真實世界與數字世界以新形式進一步結合的證明。此次強強聯(lián)合為實體的百貨商場帶來增強現(xiàn)實的數字體驗，讓未來的品牌傳播方式超乎想象地更加模因化。

As meme culture and IRL culture become even more entwined post-pandemic， it’s now a crucial part of truly understanding how to communicate with， make an impact upon， and build essential brand affinity with younger consumers. To that end， how can brands begin to innovate and adapt to changing consumer behaviour and communication？

在后疫情時代，模因文化和真實世界的文化聯(lián)系更加緊密。如今，品牌若想真正理解如何與年輕消費群體溝通、如何對他們施加品牌影響力、如何建立至關重要的品牌好感度，就必須重視模因文化。為此，品牌應該如何創(chuàng)新、如何適應不斷變化的消費行為與溝通方式？

Meme language is multi-sensory

模因語言具有多感官性

Firstly， meme culture is far broader than the culture of sharing coded images in replicable templates. Memes exist in all forms of communication， from visual （such as template formats like the “For The Better”1 meme）， to auditory （such as the “Oh No” song by Kreepa used millions of times on TikTok to show moments when things don’t go as expected）， to gestural （such as TikTok dances， challenges on Instagram， and other body and video-related content）.

首先，模因文化極其寬泛，遠不止分享基于可復制模板的編碼圖片。模因存在于所有交流形式中，包括視覺形式（比如“為了變得更好”之類的圖片模板）、聽覺形式（比如說唱歌手克里帕的那首《噢，不》，在TikTok上已有數百萬次的使用量，專用于事與愿違的場合），以及動作形式（比如TikTok的舞蹈、“照片墻”上發(fā)起的挑戰(zhàn)，以及其他結合肢體動作的視頻內容）。

Crucially， memes can even become part of material products themselves， spawning visual or gestural memes that only serve to continue their embedded jokes. Balenciaga is a prime example of this， adopting a meme-baiting strategy in their products for the last few years， embedding jokes， parodies， and satire to make their products relevant and infinitely meme-able. This is a model of “media richness2，” which offers several different ways for consumers to participate in the joke through either consuming， contributing， or creating in a virtuous cycle with the brand， increasing brand affinity. Indeed， a research published in 2021 suggests that media richness is a more influential factor in consumer engagement and behavioural intention than content trustworthiness.

重要的是，模因甚至可以成為物質產品的一部分，由此衍生出的圖像或動作模因會延續(xù)蘊含其中的笑料。奢侈品牌巴黎世家就是利用模因文化的高手。近幾年來，該品牌以模因為誘餌施展產品營銷策略，通過埋設段子、滑稽模仿和諷刺等手段，讓自家產品貼近大眾并且可以無限模因化。這一營銷策略是展現(xiàn)“媒介豐富度”的范例，它為消費者提供了多種方式參與模因文化，通過使用、討論或者創(chuàng)造模因與品牌建立良性循環(huán)，提升對品牌的好感度。事實上，2021年發(fā)表的一項研究已證明，媒介豐富度已經超過內容可信度，成為影響消費者參與度及行為意向的重要指標。

In light of3 this， there is a clear opportunity for brands to take meme culture into account， not only as a form of communicating in a meme-ified market， but to take meme culture into consideration when innovating new products. After all， if Balenciaga can meme-ify Crocs into a desirable shoe， the sky is the limit for all categories.

正因媒介豐富度如此重要，品牌應抓住明擺在眼前的機遇，搭上模因文化的快車，不僅要將其視作模因化市場中的一種交流形式，還要在產品創(chuàng)新的過程中將其納入考量。畢竟，巴黎世家能用模因帶火洞洞鞋，那么對其他品類而言，創(chuàng)意同樣無止境。

Humour is more important than authenticity

幽默勝過真實

When it comes to making a meme travel far， humour is the core ingredient. This is because memes themselves function as forms of “energy exchange，” where participating in and putting your own spin4 on a shared cultural artefact produces an emotional response and increases social bonds.

要想讓模因廣為流傳，幽默是制勝關鍵。模因本身具有“交換能量”的功能，因此親身參與創(chuàng)造模因這種可共享的文化產品，再加入自己獨到的解讀，就能收獲情感回應，強化社交紐帶。

To be authentically funny， brands need to be participants in the communities they’re advertising to. Wendy’s TikTok presence is a great example of participating in fast-moving meme humour without being too heavy or inauthentic， often relying on remixed existing meme formats that make them feel like an authentic participant in the humour of meme culture， much like a regular users. Younger consumers are particularly wise to marketing strategies， so embedding humour and participation is crucial to leveraging memes to build brand affinity.

為做到真正有趣，品牌要融入廣告受眾的社群。漢堡連鎖餐廳品牌“溫蒂”在TikTok上的營銷就是絕佳的例子。該品牌緊跟快速變化的模因笑點，通常主要依靠已有模因模板的重新混搭，玩笑開得既不過火也不做作，讓人感覺該品牌像普通網友那樣真實地參與幽默的模因文化。如今，年輕的消費群體洞悉各種營銷套路，因此蘊含幽默、注重參與是品牌用模因贏得人心的關鍵。

Collaboration creates content richness

攜手合作才能豐富內容

As our time online increases， so does our exposure to marketing and advertising. In my research over the years， I’ve been so surprised by how savvy even the youngest consumers are about the influence of advertising on their communication and behaviour， and how critical they are of brands that are doing it wrong on social media. Often， it’s when brands participate in a trend that they didn’t start that they really win over the hearts of users， contributing to the sense of “media richness” that makes a brand’s contribution to their feed actually meaningful. Sure， traditional influencer marketing has its place， but digital creator collaboration （like Gucci’s foray into5 gaming culture on Twitch with 100 Thieves） is beginning to usher in a new form of brand activation6 that relies less on traditional modes of engagement. This new form of creator collaboration in meme cultures creates real digital content richness around marketing efforts， making brands on social media far less cringe-y to media literate youth who want brands to communicate on their level.

隨著上網時間的增加，我們接觸的營銷廣告也變多了。經過多年的研究，我驚訝地發(fā)現(xiàn)，即便是最年輕的消費群體也深諳廣告對他們的交際與行為有何影響，他們批評在社交媒體上犯錯的品牌也特別犀利。通常，品牌只有無心插柳地搭乘某個潮流才會贏得網友的好感，提升自己的媒介豐富度，進而讓品牌為傳播所做的投入更有成效。不可否認，傳統(tǒng)的網紅營銷仍有用武之地，但是與數字創(chuàng)作者合作（比如奢侈品牌古馳與電競俱樂部“100大盜”合作，在游戲直播平臺“特威奇”上成功試水游戲領域）正在引領新的品牌活化形式，這種新形式對傳統(tǒng)參與形式的依賴較小。在模因文化中，這種與創(chuàng)作者合作的新形式能為品牌營銷活動創(chuàng)作出真正豐富的數字內容，提升品牌在社交媒體上的形象，以免讓精通媒體套路又希望與品牌平等交流的年輕人產生抵觸情緒。

A core function of participating in meme culture in this meaningful way is recognising that meme culture itself upends traditional brand and consumer hierarchies， placing consumers in a co-creation role with brands. The meme that inspired me to buy those limited- edition Crocs wasn’t from the Crocs account itself， but from a regular user repurposing the brand image to make a joke. It wasn’t even a complimentary joke！ Brands are artefacts in meme culture whether they participate in it directly or not， so it makes sense to take hold of this incredible opportunity that brands now have to humanise， connect， and play a more relevant role in the platforms we’ll continue to be glued to for some years to come.

品牌以這種富有意義的方式參與模因文化，其重要作用在于理解模因文化對傳統(tǒng)品牌與消費者等級觀念的顛覆，把消費者變成與自己共同創(chuàng)作的伙伴。吸引我購買限量版洞洞鞋的模因并非出自卡駱馳公司的賬號，而是普通網友重塑品牌形象的玩笑之作。這個玩笑甚至還有惡搞的意味！無論是否直接參與，品牌都是模因文化中的手工藝品，因此更應該抓住眼前的巨大商機，在人們未來幾年依然會沉迷其中的社交平臺上拉近與消費者的距離，變得更親切、更主動、更接地氣。

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者；單位：上海工程技術大學）

1該模因用圖截自《星球大戰(zhàn)前傳2：克隆人的進攻》（Star Wars： Episode II—Attack of the Clones）。

2媒介豐富度主要衡量媒介傳遞的信息量。一種媒介傳遞的信息量越大，則該媒介越豐富。媒介豐富度理論認為，面對面交流傳達的信息量最豐富。 3 in （the） light of考慮到；鑒于。

4 spin導向性陳述。

5 foray into涉足。 6品牌活化是指企業(yè)對既有品牌進行重構和重建，讓品牌再次煥發(fā)生機的過程。品牌活化不僅是根據市場和消費者趨勢進行的品牌革新，也是對品牌策略、管理、創(chuàng)意等方面的創(chuàng)新和調整，旨在讓品牌能夠贏得更多消費者的心。