Are you thinking of incorporating memes as a new marketing method using SNS? Recently trending memes can be used when you want to make your posts go viral, or when you want to attract attention from consumers through word of mouth. If you know about popular memes and meme marketing techniques, you can attract a lot of people’s interest even if it’s your first time.
In this article, we will explain in detail the meaning of memes and popular cat memes. We will also introduce meme marketing techniques and useful memes that are being used by major companies, so if you are interested, please check them out.
What is a meme?
You often see the word meme (hereinafter referred to as “meme”) on social media and the Internet, but some people may have trouble understanding what it means. Here, we will explain the concept of memes and the characteristics of memes in Japan.
concept
Memes are a concept proposed by Richard Duggins in 1976. Mr. Doggins’ book “The Selfish Gene” describes genes that give priority to increasing their own copies, and describes the passing of genes to descendants as a meme.
The term meme that appears in this article is a coined word that combines the words gene and mimeme. Just as living organisms transmit information through genetics, the process of spreading the same image or video to various people has come to be called a meme.
internet meme, internet meme
Internet meme/net meme refers to images, videos, and texts that are spread as jokes mainly on the Internet, such as websites, bulletin boards, and SNS. Not just any image or video can be used as a meme. The more interesting content is to users, the more likely it is to spread, so it is true that there are many pieces of content that include sarcasm and jokes. .
Images, videos, and texts that are spread are copied and spread, so they can be expected to have the effect of conveying the same information to many people.
Characteristics in Japan
The characteristics of Internet memes in Japan are as follows.
Since Japan has many attractive manga and anime, there is a tendency for memes to be created based on lines from manga and anime. Let’s take a look at some of the most common meme lines.
Many of you may have seen one of these lines on the internet. Some people only post lines, while others post original images with lines added, so there are many different forms of manga and anime-derived memes.
Another characteristic of Japanese memes is that MAD videos that edit images and audio from existing videos tend to become popular. You can add interest to existing videos and make them more impactful, so viewers can enjoy them as well.
In Japan, memes that were popular in the past tend to suddenly come back to life. Examples of old material include a play on a poem by the famous poet Akiko Yosano, and a Yoshinoya copy/paste that describes events at Yoshinoya.
Music videos that include easy-to-remember melodies, impactful lyrics, and dance moves that make you want to imitate them are also popular. This is the reason why “Utattemita videos” posted on YouTube and Nico Nico Douga have become so popular and are widely spread through SNS.
What is a cat meme?
In Japan, cat memes using images and videos of cats are also becoming more popular.
Here, we will explain cat memes in detail.
Popular on SNS
Cat memes are a type of meme that have become widely known through the social networking site TikTok. It uses images and videos of cats to express funny events that occur in everyday life in an interesting way, and is also gaining popularity on YouTube Shorts and X (formerly Twitter).
A characteristic of cat memes is that they are loved by a wide range of generations, from children to adults. Not only can you see cute cats, but the comical movements and facial expressions of the cats that match the lines and story lines are something that anyone can enjoy.
You can also make cat memes
Not only can you see cat memes, you can also make them. If you own a cat, you probably have a wealth of materials such as photos and videos of your cat on a daily basis. You can easily edit it using video editing software.
When creating cat memes, first read the editing software’s manual carefully so that you can master it. Once you have learned how to use it, think of a story, prepare the cat’s poses, movements, and expressions to match the story, and create a video.
For example, an image or video of a cat with its mouth slightly open to express an everyday conversation, a video of a cat punching a cat to express a scene of being angry, or a video of a cat punching a cat to express happiness or enjoyment. Choose a comical video that shows you dancing.
If you adjust every detail carefully, you can create your own original cat meme. It may go viral on SNS, so if you want a lot of people to see it, it might be a good idea to post it once.
Related terms for meme
If you search for the word meme, you’ll find several related terms that may interest you. There are some words that make you feel the dangers of memes, so be sure to check the precautions before you start using them. Here, we will introduce three terms related to memes that you may be interested in.
meme pollution
Memetic contamination means that the perception of the original material is different from its original meaning due to the influence of meme images and videos. Even though the scene is originally a moving scene, if it is edited into a funny meme image or video, the funny impression of the meme may remain strong. Even when I look at the original work, I end up remembering the meme and lose the emotion.
For example, there is a meme video based on the scene in the manga One Piece where Nico Robin cries and cries out, “I want to live.” Originally, it was a moving scene where the main character Luffy asked Nico Robin how he truly wanted to live, but by changing the line from “I want to live” to “I don’t want to work,” the impression changes dramatically. It makes for an interesting video.
If you watch the original work after viewing the meme image, the emotional impression will be diminished, making it difficult to genuinely enjoy the original work itself. This phenomenon is memetic contamination.
meme stocks
A meme stock refers to a stock that attracts a lot of attention on the internet, causing its stock price to soar temporarily. Stock prices skyrocket because buy orders occur all at once in a short period of time, but it is unclear whether the surge will continue for a long time. Some stocks can plummet, so if you don’t consider carefully before purchasing, it can be a big risk.
Meme stocks include Blackberry Limited, a Canadian company that manufactures electronic products, and Tesla, Inc., an American company that sells electric cars. Let’s take as an example the American stock called GameStop, which became the origin of meme stocks.
GameStop is a computer game retailer founded in the United States in 1984. In 2020, rumors of deteriorating business results began to circulate and many shareholders sold their shares. What saved GameStop from falling into trouble was a video posted on the major American bulletin board Rabbit in August of the same year.
The content of the video is an explanation of GameStop’s business model and a number of stocks are being sold. After the video was released, Rabbit users banded together and called for the purchase of GameStop shares. . As a result, the stock price skyrocketed, and shareholders who sold before the video was released lost money, while those who bought after the video was released received a profit.
GameStop is an example of a successful meme stock, but not all meme stocks are successful. It is important to consider carefully when making a purchase, as there is no guarantee that success will occur and you will need to take a high risk.
meme coin
Memecoin is a virtual currency developed based on internet memes, jokes, and satirical humor. Meme coins that combine something interesting with virtual currency have high entertainment value, and in some cases, the price can increase significantly.
The development of meme coins does not require any unique technology, and the hurdles for making them public are low, so many types have been created. Let’s take a look at the characteristics of typical meme coins.
| meme coin name | Features |
| Doge (Dogecoin) | A meme coin with a Shiba Inu motif released in 2013. Since its release, it has received instructions from some communities, but the price has skyrocketed after Tesla’s Elon Musk brought it up multiple times in 2021. |
| SHIB (commonly known as Shiba Inu Coin, Shiba Inu Token, SHIB) | A meme coin released in 2020 as a parody of Dogecoin. Although it is less valuable and popular than Dogecoin, it has the advantage of being able to be purchased directly with Japanese yen. |
| MONA (Mona Coin) | A meme coin that was released in 2013 and is named after the cat character “Moner.” This coin was created by 2channel (currently 5channel) and can be purchased from domestic virtual currency exchanges. |
| Pepe (Pepe Coin) | A meme coin with a frog character motif released in 2023. It is based on the influential Pepe the Frog motif, and is attracting attention because it is handled by Binance, one of the world’s largest virtual currency exchanges. |
Please note that depending on the type of meme coin, it may be necessary to purchase it from overseas, and the price may fluctuate widely. Shiba Inu Coin and Monacoin can be purchased directly with Japanese yen, but Dogecoin and Pepecoin must be purchased from an overseas exchange.
Keep in mind that it will be time-consuming as you will need to open an account at a Japanese domestic exchange and remit Bitcoin.
It is also important to note that the value of meme coins changes greatly depending on the influence of SNS, influencers, and celebrities. There are also meme coins whose prices skyrocket after being featured by global celebrities, such as the Doge coin, which was featured by Elon Musk, and the Shiba Inu coin, which was positively influenced by the dog connection.
The more a product becomes talked about, the higher its price becomes, but the more it is forgotten, the lower its value becomes, so you must carefully monitor changes in value before purchasing.
List of trending memes (Japan)
There are many different kinds of Internet memes, and many people have probably seen them on Internet bulletin boards or social networking sites. Here we will introduce Internet memes that are popular in Japan.
From anime and manga
Internet memes are born from lines from anime and manga, a representative Japanese subculture.
Some works have spawned numerous memes, while others have a single line that has generated a lot of attention. Even if the versatility is low, it seems that lines that are cool and want to be used are sometimes picked up as Internet memes.
In addition to lines, internet memes of images have also been born. Take a look at some of the most popular image memes on the internet.
“Space Cat” is an image of the universe spreading out in the background of a cat with a surprised expression. Many users were fascinated by the gap between the background and the cat, and it became very popular around 2014.
“I want 5,000 trillion yen!” became popular after the artist K. Swabe posted an image on “X” and “pixiv.” Users who found the big aspirations, beautiful fonts, and surreal coloring interesting spread the word, creating a huge buzz.
Internet memes can also be found in videos with impactful music or lyrics. Some of the popular videos include:
There are many videos that have gone viral after being posted on “YouTube” and “Nico Nico Douga,” and have quickly spread on SNS. Each one has an impact in terms of music, lyrics, dialogue, and animation, so if you’ve never seen it before, why not give it a watch?
The return of an old meme
Memes that were popular in the past can become popular even years later. The most obvious example of the return of an old meme is the Yoshinoya copy-paste that was popular in 2001.
Yoshinoya Copy and Paste is a text posted on a personal website in which the author, who frequently goes to Yoshinoya, is angry about the beef bowl discount campaign and the way customers who don’t usually visit Yoshinoya place orders. The reason behind this video was that I was frustrated that I couldn’t get a seat at Yoshinoya, which I always go to, because it was very crowded due to a promotion.
This meme was posted on a personal homepage in 2001. Many people may remember it because it was posted on bulletin boards such as 2channel (currently 5channel) and became a hot topic of conversation. In 2018, 17 years after the Yoshinoya Copy and Paste became a hot topic, it became a buzz again thanks to a SoftBank campaign.
In February 2018, SoftBank ran a campaign where SoftBank users could get free gyudon. As a result of the campaign, Yoshinoya was flooded with customers, and modified versions of the previously popular Yoshinoya copy-paste were spread on social media.
person
In addition to content such as images and videos, people can also become memes. “Minced meat” and “Uncle Shiofuri” can be said to be representative characters that have been turned into memes.
“Himiku” is one of the members of the junior high school YouTuber group “Chonmage Kozo”. When he greets people at the beginning of the video, his falsetto-laced voice, unique intonation, and pose in which he bows his head with his arms outstretched become a hot topic, and his greeting line, “It’s minced meat,” became popular.
“Salt Sprinkle Uncle” is a person who became a hot topic around the world because the way he sprinkled salt on meat was sexy. The true identity of Uncle Shiofuri is Nusret Gökçe, who works at a Turkish steak chain restaurant and has appeared in Western and Japanese media.
What is meme marketing?
Since Internet memes can be seen by a wide variety of people, meme marketing that utilizes them is also being developed. Let’s take a closer look at what meme marketing is and how to do it.
A new way to leverage popular memes
Meme marketing is a marketing method that utilizes popular memes and is attracting attention from many companies. By using popular memes to promote your products and services, you can attract a lot of attention. The aim is to increase awareness of brands and products by increasing the number of people’s exposure.
It is important to judge the content
Compliance needs to be considered when leveraging popular memes. Choose the content you use carefully. Some popular memes include satire or over-the-top jokes. Please be aware that content that violates social norms or corporate ethics may be considered a violation of compliance.
Posting something that violates compliance will attract attention in a negative way. There is a risk of losing trust in the company, so choose memes that do not involve issues such as legal violations, power harassment, or sexual harassment.
Be careful of legal issues such as copyright
When using popular memes, it is also important to obtain permission from the poster. If you use images or videos created by individuals without permission, there is a risk of copyright infringement. Even if you can raise awareness of your brand, it will be meaningless if you get sued for copyright issues, so be sure to check beforehand.
Benefits of meme marketing
Meme marketing has the advantage of increasing awareness of your brand, products, and services by using popular memes. In addition, there are some other benefits that are great for companies, so let’s explain them here.
The creation of UGC can be expected to have a diffusion effect.
If UGC (User Generated Content) is created through meme marketing, further spreading effects can be expected. UGC is content created by users who are consumers. Photos of products and services taken by consumer users tend to have a high number of views, which is a big advantage for meme marketing.
Can keep costs low
Meme marketing can be carried out at low cost, so companies have the advantage of being able to promote their products and services while keeping expenses low. Normally, when advertising products and services, it is common to use media such as television and magazines, as well as billboards around the city. Although these methods have the advantage of being seen by many people, the advertising costs are high, so depending on your budget, you may have to be cautious and hesitate.
Meme marketing simply combines popular memes with products and services, so you can get started with just the cost of purchasing image/video editing software. Many SNS are free to use, so you can promote your products at low cost.
meme marketing example
A typical example of meme marketing is what is known as TikTok sales, which are sold through the SNS TikTok. TikTok is a social networking site where many entertaining short videos are posted. By conducting meme marketing through TikTok, which is often used by young people, products can be widely known and sometimes become a buzz. There are some examples of major companies successfully selling TikTok, so let’s introduce them here.
Otsuka Pharmaceutical “Five Mini”
Otsuka Pharmaceutical’s “Fivemini” has become well-known among the younger generation through TikTok, and sales are increasing. Five Mini is a FOSHU beverage that contains dietary fiber and vitamin C. Although it was mainly targeted at people in their 30s to 50s, it has become well known and popular among people in their 10s to 20s through posts on TikTok.
Due to the popularity of TikTok, the number of items sold at convenience stores has doubled, and the sales have continued for a long time. Otsuka Pharmaceutical seems to be continuing promotions and campaigns using TikTok in order to ensure that the popularity is not just a passing moment.
Kanebo Cosmetics “Kate”
Lip Monster, released by Kanebo Cosmetics’ brand “Kate,” has also become a popular product on TikTok. Around the time Lip Monster was released, the coronavirus infection was prevalent in the world.
During the coronavirus pandemic, when wearing masks was the norm, it was said that lipstick products would not sell well. However, since there are many users who want to enjoy makeup even when wearing a mask, Kanebo Cosmetics will release Lip Monster, which is one of the masks that is less likely to fade.
Not only is it difficult to remove even when wearing a mask, but the color names are also interesting, such as “Last Boss” and “Lump of Desire,” so you wouldn’t know the color just by hearing it. Kanebo Cosmetics conducted an advertisement through SNS in order to spread awareness about lip products that people should use especially during this time when we have to wear masks. Aiming for digital buzz, they asked popular creators on TikTok to promote Lip Monster, and succeeded in attracting the interest of many users. As a result, it became a very popular product, with cumulative shipments of 2.4 million units in the 10 months after its release.
summary
Memes are a culture in which content is spread on the Internet, such as SNS and bulletin boards. In Japan, content originating from subcultures is easily turned into memes and continues to be spread today.
Meme-based marketing is a new technique that many online companies are taking notice of. If you carefully select the meme content you use while keeping legal aspects in mind, it will spread while being seen by many people, increasing awareness of your products and services.
There are cases where major companies have successfully created memes using SNS, so if you are considering meme marketing, please refer to these cases and put it into practice.