Unless you've been living under a rock this past week, you've no doubt been inundated with numerous variations of the Harlem Shake video. Though it seems like every business, organization, and team in the world has posted their own take on "Sh*t (Somethings) Say," "Call Me Maybe," "Dollar Shave Club" and "Gangnam Style," it's important to pause for a moment and consider whether doing so is actually a good idea. Great content is original, helpful, and built to last. Memes and parodies rarely fall under any of those categories. Here are three reasons why you should think twice before making a meme or viral video parody.
I could stop here. The only reason - and I mean the only reason - to create content is to help someone solve their problem. That's it.
Now that content marketing has achieved wide adoption, the volume of bad content hitting the web on a daily basis is on the rise. Meanwhile, consumers are becoming more and more aware of when and how they're being marketed to. This is putting us on a crash course towards a content bubble.
The Dollar Shave Club video worked for Dollar Shave Club because it was original, funny, and solved a problem (or at least introduced a service that solves a problem). Delivering your company's sales pitch in the Dollar Shave Club format is not original, not funny, and does not solve any problems.
Only useful content generates views, shares, and leads.
The best piece of content is built to last. Ideally, something you produce should stay relevant and searchable for months and even years after you release it (almost 16 months later, our CTR study still gets mentioned during conference keynotes). A viral video parody, however, only stays relevant for as long as the original work stays in the public eye, which is rarely longer than a few weeks. Is it really worth putting all that work into learning the dance moves or writing new lyrics to "Call Me Maybe" for that video to be completely useless a month later?
There are plenty of examples of the backlash caused by businesses or organizations attempting to ride a meme. An otherwise flawless Super Bowl in Indianapolis was slightly marred by a "Super Bowl Shuffle" parody that drew national attention and ire. Eleven athletes from Susquehanna University have kicked off the football team following their rendition of the Harlem Shake. Several California lifeguards were also handed their walking papers (then rehired) after a failed "Gangnam Style" parody. Though these are extreme examples, it's enough just to avoid negative tweets and comments when your parody falls flat.
Beyond all that, put yourself in the shoes of a customer or a stakeholder. Let's say your satisfaction with a vendor is low. How would you feel about seeing shirtless employees gyrating to the Harlem Shake when they haven't met your deadline for a project?
Yes, it's a good idea to show off the lighter side of your business, but not in a manner that is bad for business. And if it doesn't help your customer, it's bad for business.
