By, Rosalie Morton (@rosaliemo)

Meme 101

You might not think you know exactly what a meme (pron. MEEM) is… but if you’re reading this blog you do, promise. I think memes are best described through examples. So consider a few of my recent favorites:

-         Angelina Jolie’s leg from the Oscar’s

-         What my friends think I do (the PR one is priceless)

-         And of course, Tebowing

If you still want to get formal, according to Wikipedia, a meme is:

- An idea that is propagated through the World Wide Web. The idea may take the form of a hyperlink, video, picture, website, hashtag or just a word or phrase. The meme may spread from person to person via social networks, blogs, direct email, news sources, or other web-based services. An Internet meme may stay the same or may evolve over time, by chance or through commentary, imitations, parody, or by incorporating news accounts about itself.

A good meme is any marketer’s dream. It means your product or campaign goes viral (win!) and tons of people are not only looking at it, but they are:

1)    Interacting with your brand

2)    Making your brand their own

3)    And then… the clincher: they are sharing your brand with their friends.

(A bad meme could mean a crisis… but that’s a different post for another day.)

It’s textbook social media engagement, and it’s precisely why social media is more powerful than traditional media. As your customers interact with your brand, it becomes branded into their minds far deeper than it would through a TV commercial or a billboard.

Memes Behind the Bar

One thing is sure, people love their liquor, so it should come as no surprise that beverage brands and their supporters have had a LOT of fun with memes.

Here are two of my favorites:

The Most Interesting Man in the World – This is a marketer’s dream come true. The Dos Equis team created “The Most Interesting Man in the World” and not only did people love the commercial, it became a meme and went viral on its own. Kudos, Dos Equis. Kudos to you, indeed.

Bros Icing Bros - In my opinion, this is the best beverage meme to date. The game is simple. Hide a Smirnoff Ice somewhere for your friend to stumble upon – his sock drawer or say, the shower. When he finds it, he has to get on one knee and drink it, unless he is already in possession of a Smirnoff Ice. A website developed, bros posted pictures of their best ices. The game became a meme.

Like many memes, the mystery remains… was this a PR ploy by Smirnoff, or just 23-year old Joe’s mode of procrastination. According to a Huffington Post article, Smirnoff denies everything. Support a reckless under-aged drinking game? Of course not! Regardless of their involvement, the urban legend lives on… although brosicingbros.com sadly has been taken down.

The old Smirnoff in a Burrito. Classic!

And so, this morning I leave you with the famous Hitler Meme, hijacked by winos, The Downfall of a Cult California Winery

Share your favorite beverage memes, below!

Photos from: http://knowyourmeme.com/

BrosIcingBros.com