(In the comments on a recent RyanAir TikTok post, one exuberant traveler shared that he was flying with the airline for the first time. In the past, the company’s typical response might have been something like, “We’re Glad to have you!” or “Thanks for joining us!”. ) Ryan Air opted for: “Would you like a medal? »
It was eccentric, but not really. Being weird on social media has become a common practice for corporate brands.
This has long aroused reluctance among certain people of a certain age. And it seems that’s no longer working with millennials or Gen Z, like Priya Saxena, 25, who works in digital marketing in Atlanta.
“I roll my eyes,” Ms. Saxena said. Many of them overdo it. I think sometimes they try to fit in and reach my generation. So it’s not very natural. »
Ron Cacace, 33, former social media manager for Archie Comics, believes brands are now engaged in a race to the bottom.
This is especially true on the old Twitter, now known simply as X as part of its own repositioning effort.
Here’s what pizza chain Dominos posted on X last month: “red flag: not dipping ur slice in ranch. » (Red flag: don’t dip your slice of pizza in ranch sauce.) And here’s Applebees: “‘Don’t eat after 8pm’ ok then tell me why apps are half off after 9pm? ? ? ?’” (“Don’t eat after 8 p.m.,” OK, but then why do all the apps offer discounts after 9 p.m.?)
You’re not the only one annoyed by the memes, street language, misspelled words, and abbreviations that are now routinely introduced into the world by once tidy businesses.
And it’s not just businesses: It wasn’t unusual, for example, for the state of New Jersey’s official social media to tell a user, “Stop playing in our heads, Nancy. » Nancy had disputed the existence of Central Jersey.
“They try to blend in,” says Jennifer Grygiel, an associate professor of communications at Syracuse University. “They identified their audience as being younger. »
Not so long ago, brands were more restrained online: sales here, well wishes there.
But the reach of influencers on social media and the growing spending power of people in their 20s have pushed companies to change their narrative. Online influencers on TikTok have more influence on Gen Z than traditional advertising, according to Donna Hoffman, a marketing professor at George Washington University.
Experts in the field say the evolution of social media began in the mid-2010s or thereabouts, particularly with fast food brands. The original goal was to target millennials who frequently used Twitter, but it has since changed.
Wendy’s was one of the first and most prolific adopters of Weird Brand Posting. The restaurant chain began regularly mocking its competitors and using a sardonic voice to mock users who interacted with its account.
Amy Brown, who served as head of social media for Wendy’s from 2012 to 2017, said she began evolving Wendy’s approach under the radar.
“It’s not like our marketing manager is looking at our Twitter account, seriously,” says Brown, 34. So a lot of it was about taking calculated risks and experimenting with a channel that senior decision-makers weren’t yet paying attention to. »
Wendy’s refused to make fun of us for this story.
Almost overnight, brands learned the power of surprise, said Mr. Cacace, who took over the Archie Comics account in 2014. “A lot of these crazy, unconventional tactics start to look like, ‘They posted this on purpose? Someone did something wrong! » »
It is not enough to post original messages. According to market research, Gen Z audiences are more likely to consider business ethics and morals than previous generations.
“I don’t want to support a brand that doesn’t endorse the values that I hold,” said Eva Hallman, 19, a journalism student at Butler University.
“A meme can create a strong personality online,” Hoffman said. But if a company behaves cynically and uses this entertainment to distract from its bad behavior, that’s a risk. »