Brands are bypassing influencers and targeting teens with memes

Meme accounts are a way for brands to reach a powerful audience that doesn’t consume media in the same way their parents and grandparents did. — Dreamstime/TNS

Big brands usually take their ad campaigns very seriously. But sometimes they don’t. In their latest attempt to win over the coveted Generation Z, companies from Uber to Netflix are laughing at themselves in sponsored memes, or funny vignettes, on Instagram.

Meme accounts compile text and images or short videos that poke fun at a cultural symbol or social idea. They’re funny, can be curated by a 12-year-old or an ad agency, and rack up millions of followers. Teenagers love memes and brands love teens.