Why Memes Outperform Targeting

Watch a schoolyard during recess when a new game sweeps through.

One day it's handball.
The next it's elaborate clapping sequences.
Then something entirely new.

Marketing executives spend millions trying to create this effect, yet these playground trends spread without a single advertising dollar.

Why?

Because they spread through the most influential channel: social groups.

This truth reveals why memes matter more than targeting. When marketers try to reach each person individually, they miss how people actually work. We move in groups — like birds flying together.

Consider Discord...

Their explosive growth didn't come from perfect targeting. It came from:

• Speaking gamers' language
• Sharing their inside jokes
• Becoming part of their culture

That's how the strongest brands work. They don't win by reaching everyone...

They win by becoming part of what specific groups do together.

When people share something within their social groups, it creates a momentum that individual targeting can never match.

The truth is simple:
Cultural relevance beats targeting.
Every.
Single.
Time.