Remember the "Distracted Boyfriend" meme? Or the "Woman Yelling at a Cat"?
They were everywhere. They were the kings of the internet, plastered on every social feed, every group chat. And then… they weren't.
They now live on a quiet farm upstate, with other retired memes like Harambe and the Ice bucket challenge.
For us in the marketing trenches, this brings up a terrifying, recurring nightmare. The 4:00 PM email from a boss with a subject line: "Fun idea!" Inside is a screenshot of a meme that's already two weeks old (an eternity in internet years) with the message: "We should do one of these! Should be quick, right?"
This kicks off the "Do it first or die trying" strategy. It's a frantic scramble to be relevant, a race to capture a fleeting moment of internet culture before it evaporates. The problem is, this race is a minefield. You are more likely to step on a PR disaster than to cross the finish line a winner.
Memes are the meme stocks of marketing
Here’s the deal: jumping on a trending meme is exactly like day-trading a meme stock.
The potential for a massive, overnight payoff is intoxicating. You see another brand go viral, their engagement numbers shooting to the moon, and you think, "I want that." It feels like a shortcut, a cheat code to relevance.
But just like meme stocks, the hype is driven by a chaotic, unpredictable community. Get in at the wrong time, and you're the one left holding the bag. Post a meme a week after its peak, and you don't look cool and relevant, you look like your dad trying to use TikTok slang. It's just cringe.
Worse, if you don't understand the real context of the meme, its origins, its darker undertones, you risk your brand looking completely tone-deaf. The stock doesn't just dip, it crashes, and you are the headline.
So how do you play this high-risk game without losing your mind (or your job)? You need to turn your AI from a simple calculator into a seasoned financial advisor.
The AI tip: It's not what you ask, It's who you ask
Last time, we talked about giving your AI context before asking it to write. This is the next evolution of that thought. Before you ask your AI to do a task, you first need to give it a job.
The technique is called priming the persona.
It’s simple. Most people ask AI to do something. Smart marketers first tell the AI who to be. You turn your generalist AI into a specialist consultant before you give it the actual work.
Before you even think about your meme, you start a new chat with this:
[PROMPT BLOCK] From now on, I want you to act as our brand's new digital strategist. You are extremely sharp, witty, and deeply embedded in internet culture. You understand meme culture, but your number one priority is protecting the brand's reputation. You would rather miss out on a trend than risk the brand looking cringe or out of touch. Your core job is to provide a cynical but brilliant risk analysis of any marketing idea. Acknowledge if you understand this persona.
Wait for the AI to respond with "Yes, I understand. I am your brand digital strategist, witty and cautious"
Now, and only now, do you give it the real task:
Okay, analyze the "Is this a pigeon?" meme. Is it still relevant? What are the potential risks for our brand if we use it this week? Give me the pros, cons, and one example of how we could use it.
Why this changes everything:
By "priming the persona," you've fundamentally changed the AI's output. You are no longer getting a generic, context-free summary. You are getting a tailored, strategic analysis from a specific point of view that you created. You have given it guardrails. You have given it a personality.
You have turned your AI into the brilliant, slightly paranoid marketing expert you wish you could afford to hire. And that is how you navigate the meme stock market without going broke.