Brands on Bandwagons – Pakistani Brands and Khaby Lame
Khaby takes over.
Brands are coming up with super fun memes after TikTok sensation Khabane Lame goes viral for his very unique (and relatable) way of mocking ridiculous videos sharing “helpful tips” which actually overcomplicate the issue more than they help. He gained millions of followers within days, and everyone’s love for him has turned him into the latest trend among brands all over the world.
Sure, the memes made by these brands were funny at the beginning, but the more they kept making them, the more it felt like they’re killing the joke. Though, kudos to the first marketer who came up with this format, it was quite creative. But for the rest of the brands which ended up following the trend, it just feels like they took the format from the first brand and just edited over their names and logos. What’s more important? Jumping on a bandwagon just because everyone around you seems to be doing it, and adding more to the noise? Or being relevant and creating valuable content?
What is up with the b(r)andwagoning?
Every once in a while, a new trend will take social media by storm and brands and creators jump on the bandwagon and fully exploit the trend in the hopes of trying to become the next best thing. This can help your brand depending on which social media platform you use and what kind of audience you’re trying to attract, but even the audience gets sick of trends at some point in time.
The thing about trends is, even they can be unique for each brand. For instance, a video or TikTok trend can test your creativity as you can make it a bit original depending on what kind of trend it is. Let’s take the example of the recent TikTok trend of turning what people say into inspirational quotes. At Mainstream, we tested our creativity by making our own version of it, and turning things that our clients say (which infuriate us more often than not) into inspirational quotes. It was quick, witty, based on a trend but had its own unique aspect to it.
@bemainstreamAren’t clients the best? 😍 #foryoupage #foryou #clientestoxicos #agencylife #mainstream♬ A Thousand Miles – Vanessa Carlton
But the thing about picture-meme formats is that there is rarely any unique aspect to it. Thus, audiences get bored of seeing the same thing again and again without any change. What feels funny at the beginning of the trend may seem boring and repetitive the very next day. In some ways it is just a matter of time, so even if you really want to jump on a bandwagon and follow a trend, the least we can recommend is to make sure you’re doing it before it gets annoying.
So for the next Khaby meme that you want to post, think about what your brand represents before piling on to the recent trend.