A Study on Meme Marketing in The Digital Age: Examining The Role of Meme Creators in Brand Virality

Memes today are far more than online jokes; they have become a cultural language that shapes how people interact and how brands are perceived in the digital space. This study examines the role of meme creators in driving brand virality, with a focus on their creativity, opinion leadership, and authenticity. Data were gathered from 132 respondents in Coimbatore through a structured questionnaire, supported by secondary sources such as journals and articles. Analytical tools including Chi-square, One-way ANOVA and Frequency analysis were used to interpret the results. Findings reveal that gender does not significantly influence daily social media usage, while the choice of platform strongly impacts brand engagement and loyalty. Creativity and opinion leadership were closely tied to authenticity, underscoring the importance of meme creators in shaping brand personality and emotional connection. However, virality and trust appear to depend more on external factors such as platform dynamics and peer sharing. The study concludes that memes are most effective in building identity and emotional resonance rather than recall or recommendation. These insights highlight the value of collaborating with creative meme influencers to design culturally relevant strategies that strengthen brand visibility and appeal across diverse audiences in today’s fast-changing digital world.