It’s official. Although not nearly enough people have realised it yet: thoughts ARE things.
In my last post, I mentioned that there was a scientific basis for Viral Marketing, Word-of-Mouth advertising and Social Currency.
If you haven’t guessed by now, I am talking about Memes.
A meme is a thought, action or idea that is really catchy (in the same way a virus is), so people pass it on to each other, e.g. a funny joke, a pop song or a style of dressing. Memes survive by reproduction (in much the same way as do genes) – literally by people imitating the ideas and perhaps adapting them slightly to suit their intentions.
The implications of this are deep, so I recommend checking out: Richard Dawkin’s explanation (Dawkins is the prof. who originally proposed it); and also the Wikipedia entry on “Meme“.
If you don’t follow the links above, then just take my word for it: what people think, do and converse about is VERY important – even if they aren’t rich and famous. (i.e. what you think, do & talk about is very important… Seen or unseen)
Here are 6 things that affect the success of your memes.
- Experience: if a meme does not correlate with an individuals experience, then that individual has a reduced likelihood of remembering that meme. (e.g. A message combined with a sample)
- Happiness: If a meme makes people feel happier, then they’re more likely to remember it. (e.g. a good joke)
- Fear: If a meme constitutes a threat, then people may be frightened into believing it. (e.g. if you don’t use this product you will be miserable)
- Censorship: Restrictive controls (such as copyright) put memes at a disadvantage. (show and tell = new economy).
- Economics: If a meme tends to increase the riches of the person holding it, then that meme tends to spread. (Put customer success first).
- Distinction: if the meme helps the people who use it to be more respected (e.g. seem intelligent or insightful), then it has a greater chance of spreading. (e.g. be a content provider — make your “advertising” useful).
If you can engineer memes (products, ideas etc) that are good replicators, then you’ve got it made in the Attention Economy.
