Who doesn’t love a good meme? A bite-sized joke format which can pack a punch and land a witty message that gets everyone chuckling. For brands, memes can be more than simple internet jokes — they can be powerful marketing tools. Their ability to convey complex ideas through humor and relatability has made them especially useful for consumer-facing brands.
But, as B2B companies strive to become more human, memes are finding a place there too. With the right approach, they can work wonders for engaging even an audience of executives and IT engineers. To see how, keep reading.
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Why Memes Work in Marketing
Memes are cultural symbols or social ideas transmitted virally, often taking the form of images, videos, or GIFs paired with humorous text. They resonate because they tap into shared experiences, making them highly relatable and shareable. The rapid spread of memes allows brands to participate in cultural conversations while keeping their messaging fun and approachable.
Humor plays a pivotal role in marketing by:
- Enhancing engagement: Funny content encourages likes, shares, and comments, increasing organic reach.
- Improving brand recall: Humor makes messages more memorable, aiding in brand retention.
- Building relatability: Light-hearted content fosters a sense of connection between the brand and its audience.
Kantar’s testing data shows that humor not only sparks reactions but also helps your ads stand out —making them 27 points more expressive, 14 points more engaging, and 11 points more distinctive.
Only 33% of the ads Kantar analyzed incorporated humor, yet 50% of their Creative Effectiveness Award winners feature humorous elements. That’s because humor cuts through the clutter in an era of short attention spans and endless digital noise, making marketing messages more impactful and shareable.
Memes, in particular, capitalize on this, combining humor with cultural relevance to create highly engaging content.
Why Memes Even Work in B2B
Adnan Sakib, Creative Director at Nitro Media Group, says that while the traditional perception of B2B marketing is all about professionalism, "...let’s be real: decision-makers are people too. They scroll social media, they laugh at memes, and they appreciate brands that speak their language.”
He adds that a well-crafted meme breaks through the corporate noise to make your brand memorable. “It’s not about turning your LinkedIn into a meme page,” he explains, “but about using humor strategically to simplify complex ideas, humanize your brand, and make people actually want to engage.”
When it comes to communicating pain points, memes are a fantastic way to do it, says April Ray, Chief Problem Solver at Intentional Marketing, because they’re engaging, relatable, and often unexpected.
“B2B marketing can sometimes feel overly polished or heavy on corporate jargon, and memes cut through that by using humor and cultural references that resonate with your audience,” she explains. The key is to understand your industry’s “inside jokes, frustrations, and everyday struggles”, she adds.
5 Examples of Successful B2B Meme Marketing
Each of these brands leverages memes in a way that fits their unique identity to ensure humor enhances its messaging or serves a specific purpose.
1. Mailchimp
Mailchimp's Did You Mean Mailchimp? campaign played on common mispronunciations of its name, using humor to enhance brand recognition. The campaign featured playful variations of the brand’s name — such as “MailShrimp” and “FailChips” — each paired with amusing, offbeat videos and images.
This approach made the brand more memorable and demonstrated Mailchimp’s lighthearted and creative personality. The campaign was widely shared across social media.
2. Zendesk
Zendesk took an unexpected and humorous approach to brand positioning by creating an alternative landing page featuring a fictional grunge band named "Zendesk." The joke was that the band was frustrated that a customer service software company had taken their name, leading to fictional songs about customer complaints.
This clever campaign entertained audiences while subtly reinforcing Zendesk’s commitment to resolving customer frustrations. It generated buzz on social media and was shared widely among marketers and customer service professionals who appreciated the creativity.
3. Hootsuite
Hootsuite, a social media management platform, embraces memes as a core part of its marketing strategy. By leveraging popular meme formats and inside jokes related to social media management — such as the struggles of content scheduling and platform algorithm changes — Hootsuite effectively engages its target audience of digital marketers and social media managers.
Their memes frequently go viral within marketing communities, boosting brand awareness and engagement. By speaking the language of their users with humor, Hootsuite creates relatability and credibility.
4. Asana
Asana, a project management software, cleverly uses memes to highlight common workplace frustrations, from chaotic email threads to missed deadlines. By humorously capturing the pain points of disorganized project management, Asana positions itself as the solution without being overtly salesy.
The brand’s memes, often shared on LinkedIn and X, have successfully sparked engagement among teams and project managers, with users frequently tagging colleagues in the comments. This word-of-mouth effect helps increase Asana’s visibility while reinforcing the need for its product in collaborative work environments.
5. Gong
Gong, a revenue intelligence platform, infuses humor into its LinkedIn and X content through memes that poke fun at sales calls, pipeline stress, and forecasting woes. Unlike some brands that overuse humor and lose credibility, Gong strikes a balance — its memes feel natural, relevant, and tailored to its B2B audience.
The result? High engagement from sales professionals who relate to the challenges depicted in the content. Gong’s meme strategy not only entertains but also fosters a sense of community among sales teams, positioning the brand as a must-have tool for revenue growth.
Strategies for Using Memes in B2B Marketing
Using memes effectively in B2B marketing requires careful execution — there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. You certainly don’t want your audience to laugh at your brand’s efforts to be funny. Missteps can come off as unprofessional or out of touch, so keep the following in mind.
- Know your audience
- Stay on brand
- Relate memes to the message
- Avoid insensitive or controversial humor
- Steer clear of copyrighted memes
- Track your success
1. Know Your Audience
You need a good understanding of the humor and cultural references that resonate with your target demographic to create relevant memes. For starters, B2B audiences may appreciate industry-specific jokes more than trending internet humor. A well-crafted meme can make niche topics feel more engaging, turning dry industry jargon into something relatable and shareable.
2. Stay on Brand
Ensure that the memes align with your brand's voice and values, maintaining consistency across all marketing channels. A forced or off-brand meme can feel inauthentic and miss the mark. Worse, it can make your brand appear out of touch, alienating your audience rather than engaging them. When done right, memes should reinforce your brand identity rather than distract from it.
“The humor should feel like it naturally fits the brand's voice, not a forced attempt to be funny,” says Stephen Ellul, CEO & Founder of The Growth Bully Ltd. He adds that using humor in B2B isn’t about being random.
3. Relate Memes to the Message
Use memes to simplify complex B2B concepts or highlight product features, making your message more digestible. Ellul recommends using them as an entry point for “insights, blog posts, or deeper content that guides users toward a CTA”. However you leverage them, be sure to put a little thought behind it.
Copy-pasting isn’t what successful brands do, says Kristin Marquet, CEO and Founder of Marquet Media, “...successful brands remix viral formats with industry-specific humor turning them into something that feels timely and deeply relevant to their audience. This ensures memes are entertaining and aligned with brand positioning and messaging.”
4. Avoid Insensitive or Controversial Humor
Steer clear of memes that could be offensive or misinterpreted, as they can damage your brand's reputation. A joke that lands well with one audience may backfire with another. In B2B marketing, missteps can be particularly costly, as they may erode trust with a professional audience.
What seems like harmless humor can sometimes be misinterpreted, leading to unintended consequences such as negative press or lost credibility.
5. Steer Clear of Copyrighted Memes
Ensure you have the right to use certain images or content to avoid legal issues. Unauthorized use of copyrighted material can result in takedown requests, fines, or even lawsuits, potentially harming your brand’s reputation.
Many popular meme images are copyrighted, so it’s best to create original content or use royalty-free images. Tools like Canva and Adobe Stock offer customizable, license-free assets that allow you to craft memes tailored to your brand while staying legally compliant.
6. Track Your Success
There are a few ways to check whether a meme campaign is actually influencing brand perception or lead generation (beyond vanity metrics). Marquet suggests watching for the following:
- An increase in inbound inquiries or lead generation.
- Higher engagement on related product-focused content (memes warming up the audience for conversion-based posts).
- Stronger brand recall in customer conversations or media mentions.
Ray says that you’ll know your meme campaign is working when people start using your messaging in their own posts, when your audience moves from passive engagement to active discussion, and when people start tagging decision-makers.
“If your audience is tagging colleagues, managers, or industry contacts in response to a meme, it signals that your content is not just entertaining but also relevant to business challenges,” says Kristin.
Meme Marketing: Key Takeaways
At the end of the day, meme marketing in B2B is all about striking the right balance — being funny without being forced, relatable without losing professionalism. A well-executed meme can boost engagement, improve brand recall, and make even the driest industry topics feel a little more human. But a poorly executed meme? That’s a fast track to an awkward silence on LinkedIn.
Remember: humor is a tool, not a crutch. Use it wisely, and your brand can reap the benefits of a marketing strategy that’s as effective as it is entertaining. Need some help? There are experts who can give your brand the guidance it needs.
Meme Marketing FAQs
1. Is it okay to poke fun at competitors with memes?
Lighthearted humor can be effective but be cautious. A playful jab can show confidence, but crossing the line into mockery might alienate potential customers or damage your professional reputation.
2. How can I make sure my memes don’t become outdated too quickly?
Stick to humor that’s timeless or industry-specific rather than relying on fleeting internet trends. Evergreen jokes about workplace frustrations, industry pain points, or common professional experiences tend to have a longer shelf life.
