(Don’t assume I know!)

(Part 2 of my marketing blogs)

Photo by Anna Tarazevich: https://www.pexels.com/photo/2-women-holding-pink-ribbons-5482991/ 

Clever Marketing… 

Do you remember the Facebook trend going around that would have women posting strange memes like: 

Mary, white 

Or,  

I like it on the floor 

Or,  

10 inches 

These were all clever memes created for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and were spread throughout Facebook. It created a buzz because only women were in on the ‘joke’ (thereby driving males crazy) and spread it privately in chat: 

Mary (name), white (color of her bra) 

I like it on the floor (where she puts her purse) 

10 (how many minutes to do your hair) inches (just to grab attention) 

All of these were misleading—but for a good cause. It was fun to play along—and play coy. They were very popular memes. 

But It Fell Short… 

While clever and fun, and greatly shared, these memes weren’t truly successful because: 

1. They excluded men, who also get breast cancer. 

2. Was the message really clear, or was it lost in the fun? 

3. It didn’t ask people to do anything to help the cause, themselves, or others, other than to play and share the game. 

4. They had no way of knowing if the message, have annual mammograms, was getting through because the memes launched during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Did people schedule mammograms and donate because of the memes, or because of all the hype surrounding Breast Cancer Awareness Month? The NFL, with its salute to the cause, has players sporting pink accessories (like mouthguards, sneakers, patches on their uniforms, etc.) for the month of October. Maybe they were responsible for the uptick in donations, mammograms, and requests for more information. 

More Action, Less Talk! 

Photo by Karolina Grabowska: https://www.pexels.com/photo/stack-of-different-currency-with-photo-of-men-and-buildings-4386158/ 

For a meme which is part of a cyberactivism campaign to be valuable and successful, it needs to ask observers to do something, to participate: 

1. Spread the meassage/awareness
2. Donate time or money
3. Sign a petition
4. Write letters for better healthcare coverage
5. Lobby elected officials for action
6. Join/volunteer at a Run for the Cure

So, before you meme, ask yourself; what will a ‘click’ or a ‘like’ accomplish? Is something more required? Is the message getting through? Will there be notable results? It doesn’t matter what your campaign is- breast cancer or other charitable causes, selling a product like my books (see what I did there?), services such as copyediting, etc. If there’s a social media campaign, and you’re using memes, they need to be specific about what you want the reader to do (but that doesn’t mean they can’t be fun). Make a meme like this: 

        Meme courtesy of Ana Ono: https//www.anaono.com/blogs/dressing-room/20-breast-cancer- memes-to-lift-your-spirits/        

It states the purpose and asks you to do something. You can start by getting more information from https://www.komen.org/. 

There’s nothing more to read so go get checked out and get involved!