In the comments on a recent RyanAir TikTok post, one exuberant traveler shared about traveling with the airline for the first time. In the past, the typical company response might have been something like “We’re happy to have you!” » or “Thanks for joining us!” “.
Ryan Air opted for: “Do you want 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,” said M.me Saxena. 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.
When we see that everyone is advertising funny, sarcastic or bizarre, without really respecting the grammatical rules, we find ourselves in a situation where we have to outbid. Quality is falling across the board.
Ron Cacace, former social media manager for Archie Comics
That’s especially true on the old Twitter, now known simply as X as part of its own repositioning effort.
Here’s what the 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, associate professor of communications at Syracuse University. “They identified their audience as being younger. »
Change of speech
Not so long ago, brands were more sober online: sales here, wishes of happiness 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.
To reach this group, companies copy influencers and their pithy messages. But sometimes they seem like they’re trying too hard, or they sound fake.
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 earliest 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 social media manager 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,” explains Mme Brown, 34 years old. 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.
Power of surprise
Almost overnight, brands realized 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 Did they post 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 support 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. »
The original version of this article was published by the New York Times.