Memevertising: To LOL or Not to LOL?

"Make us a viral video."
Anyone who has worked in advertising in the past decade will have likely heard those words come out of a client's mouth. The ad landscape has changed dramatically, and we are now in an era where upvotes and views are just as important as ratings. In response, brands ranging from Vitamin Water to Comedy Central are turning to the memesphere for creative inspiration-- with some good, bad, and ugly results.
This panel will address the relationship between advertising and internet culture, discussing who's done it well, who's done it badly, and what this occasionally uneasy symbiosis means for the online cultural landscape.

Additional Supporting Materials

Questions

1. How has social media/YouTube changed the advertising landscape?
2. What are some of the best ad campaigns that have utilized/referenced internet culture, and why did they work? What are the worst campaigns that have attempted to cash in on meme culture, and why did they fail?
3. In what ways do advertising and the memesphere interact with and influence each other?
4. With a few exceptions, most memes come from a specific subculture that receives little to no attribution or compensation for their creative efforts. With this in mind, what are the implications of brands mining internet culture for their own benefit?
5. Is 'memevertising' a fad, or is it here to stay? What is the future of 'viral' advertising?

Speakers

• Kate Miltner, Lead Planner, Jam
• Cole Stryker, Sr. Social Media Strategist, Giant Media
• Holly Clarke, Head of Product Strategy, Vyclone
• Will Zweigart, Senior Program Director, 5Loom

Organizer

Kate Miltner, Lead Planner, Jam @ Engine