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Last week, a dude dunked his face in a bowl of water, and a company’s stock jumped 11%. That’s not a punchline—it’s the new reality of viral marketing. But here’s the nuance that's easy to miss: there’s a massive gap between riding a meme wave and becoming the meme itself.
We live In an era where AI is growing unique non-deterministic neural pathways. The real competitive advantage isn’t tech or commodity — it’s how you market it, distribute it, and tap into human psychology. Enter memes: they’re not a punchline, they’re a play.
Memes hit psychological share triggers, grabbing attention and lodging in people’s minds.
They’re a top-of-funnel power move, drawing people in before the pitch even starts.
Dismiss them as “too silly,” and you’re missing out—memes are serious business, working right now.
When fitness influencer Ashton Hall posted his morning routine featuring Saratoga Spring Water, shit hit the fan—in a good way.
Within 48 hours:
Google searches spiked 1000%
The parent company’s stock jumped 11%
Even New York’s Governor hopped on the train
Saratoga didn’t start this fire—they became the fire. This is the endgame: your product isn’t just part of the meme; it is the meme.
@ashtonhallofficial Day 191 of the morning routine that changed my life 3:50am to 9:30am Sin lives late at night.. if you’re dealing with a weak mind, bad de... See more
The Duolingo Effect: Orchestrated Chaos
Saratoga’s moment was a happy accident, but some brands engineer their own meme storms. Duolingo’s psycho green owl is a cultural juggernaut because of what looks like chaos—but it’s chaos with a playbook. Their team’s been at it, posting unhinged shit daily until it sticks. Behind every “random” viral brand is a squad taking wild swings every damn day.
@duolingo RIP DUO #duolingo Duolingo’s full name credit to @ alex_elle on Threads
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Most brands suck at meme marketing because they’re playing the wrong game:
Losers | Winners |
|---|---|
Wait for the “right” moment | Swing 100+ times a month |
Stick to official accounts | Unleash founders and staff to post |
Obsess over “brand safety” | Ask “Will anyone give a shit?” * |
Control the story | Stir chaos and let fans run wild |
Chase per-post ROI | Play the portfolio game—most flops don’t matter |
*if you're in healthcare, legal, or financial services yes people will care. For sensitive industries create a detailed guidelines doc before unleashing so all stakeholders are synced up and you've minimized friction.
The Three Meme Marketing Archetypes
My team goes viral pretty regularly and we’ve dissected tons of viral moments. Three strategies keep winning:
Most brands try #1. But #2 and #3? That’s where the real money’s at.
Your True Competition Isn’t Other Brands
Your marketing isn’t fighting competitors—it’s battling:
TikTok’s infinite scroll
Twitter’s latest shitstorm
Every movie, game, and cat video ever
Safe, corporate nonsense gets buried. The only way to win is to be what people want to share. Be entertaining or be informative. That’s it.
Madison Avenue vibes are dead. The teams crushing it have:
A Chaos Coordinator - Some internet-obsessed nut who gets the culture
AI-Powered Creation Engine - Tools spitting out 50+ ideas per moment. Take Studio Ghibli-style memes—OpenAI’s GPT-4o let people churn out viral gold, proving AI can ride cultural waves like a pro.
Multi-Platform Distribution Network - Official accounts, founder pages, random staff posts
Instant Approval Systems - No 12-step bureaucracy—speed is king
Portfolio Mentality - 95% fails, 5% pays the bills
How to Become the Meme
You Have To Commit.
Here’s the gut punch: virality can take months—or years—of grinding before you hit. Duolingo posted weird shit for ages before their owl took off. Only the relentless survive.
Here’s your playbook:
Flood the Zone - Post like a maniac across every platform. Most will tank. That’s the point. You’re fishing for the one that explodes.
Unleash Your Weirdos - Let your social team post without 10 signatures. Speed beats perfection every time.
AI’s Your Wingman - Use n8n for killer automations in seconds or Veo 2 for videos that look awesome.
Sniff Out Trends - Track what’s hot with X Radar, Feedly, TikTok creator insights before it’s old news.
Make It Meme-able - Can your product star in a TikTok challenge? If not, fix that shit.
Crowdsource the Chaos - Run contests: “Show us your wildest [product] flex.” Fans will do the work for you.
Crowdsource the Chaos - Team up with creators. Let them flex how it fits into their world, not some overly produced ad. Tools like Whop can turn their UGC crews into a hype machine. And don’t forget the champ, product led growth (see the Beehiiv referral link above for an example).
Measure What Counts - Shares, mentions, buzz—not instant sales. Virality’s a slow burn.
Start this today, and you’re on track to be the meme, not just chase it.
The Action Most Brands Won’t Take
It’s not about “getting” viral marketing—it’s about doing the stuff most won’t:
Post 10x more on 5x more channels
Embrace messy
Let your online geeks run loose
Accept most tries will bomb
You in, or you just gonna nod and scroll?
Want to see how my team turns chaos into millions in free ads? Reply “CHAOS SYSTEM” and I’ll hook you up with our full framework for owning the meme game.
🎁 Get rewarded for sharing! My team grew NEW accounts to over 50 million views in just a few months. We made an AI viral hook generator so you can follow the same hook frameworks that we do.
Invite your friends to join, and when they sign up, you’ll unlock our AI Viral Hook Generator—the ultimate tool for creating scroll-stopping content.
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Brands that master chaos, memes, and the internet’s wild side will own the attention economy.
Until next time,
Matt