The communication context in which brands express themselves is constantly changing: what was appropriate a year ago may prove not only ineffective, but detrimental this year. And the more the channel mix is focused on modern ones: Social Media, Digital, Influencers, the faster the changes occur and the more pressing is the need to adapt. A good example is SemințeLE Alka, part of the Alka Group, our 2021 client.

In 2022, SemințeLE Alka built on the “Făcute ca la carte!” (Made by the book!) positioning with the creative concept “#TeÎntrebi” (#YouWonder), a series of executions that highlighted the product attributes through fun and humor, albeit slightly elitist. This elitism in communication succeeded in generating a niche product target in a broadly addressable commodity market.

Therefore, in early 2023 the brand had to start creating an emotional connection with the general public in an environment where audiences no longer want to deal with traditional advertising: now it’s all about platform-tailored content that can pass as ‘native content’, meaning content that could be created by anyone.

Our solution: we communicated through the creative concept “Assumed Consumption”, further building on the brand equity universe “Făcute ca la carte!” (Made by the book!). Each execution became yet another effort to liberate consumption and the dialogue about consumption for everyone.

We stopped making regular branded content for Social Media and chose to make memes By the book!, where we integrate the product in a funny way. Patricia Bălan, Social Media Executive at Minio Studio, tells us more about how we managed to adapt and the results of the decision.

1. For most people, it’s hard to stay up-to-date with internet culture. What does meme culture mean to you?

When we talk about “meme culture” we can define it as the collective of people who create, distribute and interact with memes. Basically, it’s how the internet and the digital environment have created a new form of expression and communication based on humour, irony and intertextuality. I see them exactly the same way: units of content that are created and widely distributed on the internet, especially on social platforms. Their beauty is that they can go viral immediately.

How can I explain it in a nutshell? Relatable stuff presented in a funny way. We consume comedy, the internet today, especially our age groups, GenZ & Millennials, consume comedy. We like to laugh because it takes our attention away from everyday problems for a few seconds and most of the time any meme has its audience, for every execution there is a range of people who relate to it.

The key is to manage to make memes specific to the account you’re working on, like on SemințeLE Alka’s.

2. SemințeLE Alka is an atypical account for Romanian audiences. How do you think this type of communication achieves business goals?

Relaxed communication in the form of memes wins the audience’s heart, especially since we are communicating a premium product in a way that is funny, but relatable to consumers.

I think it’s very important in Social Media to get closer to the consumer through whatever means you have. We as Social folks, being also active consumers of the platforms, when making content we put ourselves in the consumers’ shoes.

People are bored of hearing the same old poetry over and over again, the same ” many of you asked me” and other derivatives, people want to connect on a different level with all the content they see, that’s why many have migrated to platforms like TikTok which is an entertainment platform. Basically, we have to adapt to the times and deliver what the consumer wants to see, but without deviating from brand beliefs.

When deciding the Social Media strategy for SemințeLE Alka’s, we considered what the consumer would want to see from the account, what their expectations are, what they would like. That’s how we ended up making memes.

The moment the consumer starts sharing our content, it means we’re doing a good job that sticks in their mind. That’s because it’s funny and relatable, it’s clear that when you go to the store and hit the snack aisle you’re putting SemințeLE Alka in the cart. Plus you know they’re good, it’s a win-win.

3. Was it difficult to change your approach? How did the communities reacted?

Like any change, of course, you need a period of adjustment. In the first month there were some question marks, we switched from the “#TeÎntrebi” (#YouWonder) pillar – which was still a comical pillar, but with a more British, refined humour, to the “#ConsumAsumat” (#ConsumersAssume) pillar summed up by memes. The change also came with the graphics and the way the posts were presented, but the adjustment period proved to be short.

This is what the old communication looked like, this was the graphic direction.

This is the new communication, more relaxed, fun and closer to the consumer.

Audiences have easily started to share posts, to interact more with them, our jokes turned memes have taken off and it shows in the results so far, from engagement rate to reach.

To answer your question, no. It hasn’t been difficult to change the approach, usually in Social Media this is the easiest. More difficult is to gauge the reaction of the community, which in this case was positive.

4. Do you like working on the SemințeLE Alka account? What exactly?

Yeah, I really like it. For me, the fact that I’m given absolute freedom in creating content is a big plus. It’s like being handed an unlimited voucher for content creation. Of course, there’s also credit here to the client who trusts me and lets me develop content in my own signature style. Maybe I’m also a bit subjective here – but anyone working in Social Media loves it when they have a free hand in creation.

5. What involves managing the SoMe SemințeLE Alka account?

To start with a metaphor that I like a lot: it’s like being the captain of the ship on a digital ocean. I say that because I have a sea of tasks: balancing posts, responding to comments, and analyzing data.

I have to turn ideas into posts, respond to the community, and evaluate metrics and numbers – how else do we know we’re doing a good job?

6. How do you build an editorial plan? What is your red thread?

I have a whole process here that I follow regardless of which account I create content for:

• I set my goals for the month up front (maybe in one month I need to promote one product more than the other for example);
• Identify relevant themes and topics (because what’s an editorial plan without contextual posts?);
• Set the type of content (maybe in one month I need more static content than video);
• Create the editorial calendar (it really helps me to share the data first so that a balanced editorial plan comes out).

And then let the creativity flow.

7. What is your creative process for blending inspiration into original content for the SemințeLE Alka page?

I was told that I would be a wannabe comedy star. Of course I took it seriously and went for it. I’m a big memes fan and can brag that I can make something funny out of anything.

Now that I’ve gloated a bit, let me explain further: I find inspiration in everything. I know that sounds cliché, but it’s not. In any situation, any object I see, any walk or even pre-sleep thoughts serve as inspiration for my daily life, that automatically includes work.

At the same time, the relaxed communication on the SemințeLE Alka page helps me to let my imagination run wild and create original content from all the little sources of inspiration I come across every day, whether I see a trend that can be adapted, or I see something shady on the subway that gives me a funny idea.

The important thing is that when I create content I carefully narrow down the creative bag that comes with me and select strictly what fits the bill. I usually need 10-15 minutes where it’s just me and I think about whether the idea I have can be adapted further, because even if we make memes and focus on funny content, it has to still be relevant.

8. Do you have any favourite posts? Which ones and why?

Of course. I think everyone has their favorite posts on the accounts they work on. There are quite a few, but I’ll leave you with the top 3:

This is my #1 favorite. This is where I’ve turned enormously to pop-culture. The night before I was going to start my editorial plan, I was talking to my girlfriends on a whatsapp group about what cringe-worthy descriptions I used as a teenager and we all said in unison, “Heads up cause your crown is dropping” and I thought it was hilarious when 3 girls, from different parts of the country, said the same phrase. I thought it was a good reason to make the most of it, to bring back to the present something old that marked us in a funny way. Here it all started from the description. We had the description and based on it we came up with the creative concept for the visual. It’s somehow also very personal, probably hence my affinity for it.

I declare myself a big fan of posts like this. The fact that we can integrate something artistic and make it funny seems priceless to me. We love the aesthetics of beauty, I think it should be used in this way more often – art + humor = love!

This post was built on the classic “hot girl summer” concept that was trending in May, of course. Hot girl summer translates to single and ready to mingle. Hence the communication with “There’s no we in SemințeLE Alka.” – as our consumers say, we rizz! (to translate the GenZ slang here, rizz – it means we got game!)

9. What are the places from where you get all the latest trends and memes?

I get my daily dose of memes by scrolling through social media, and believe it or not, the main source is Facebook. For the younger generation Facebook has become this meme platform. I don’t follow a specific page that produces memes, I just see what my 5,000 Facebook friends are sharing (before you ask, no, I don’t know everyone, I know 150 people max).

On TikTok when I see funny videos I may have this spark to take the concept from the video and make it a static meme, it really works!

Reddit. Reddit all the way. There I don’t follow meme pages, what I do instead is follow the topics in the big Romanian group to see what pains people still have, basically I take their grievances and turn them into memes. Life hack!

Supposedly all the ideas you see around you, because everything you see is someone’s idea, can lead to the construction of a new one. There’s nothing truer than that!

10. What would you like to see more often on the Social Media pages of Romanian brands?

I wanna see less stiffness and more relaxation. On Social Media we need to be relaxed, people come in here to relax, to like what they see to be enjoyable. I know it’s probably still a challenge for many brands, but Social Media accounts are your calling card. I wanna see closeness to the consumer, I wanna see that communication is really for consumers, about them, not with and about the brand. It needs to be a communication that encompasses the needs of the brand, but dedicated to the consumer.

Brands will start to gain momentum when they`ll understand that Social Media is not about them, it’s about people. It’s called social media with a purpose – to socialise with people. You as a brand need to understand that people talk to you if they feel close to you. Be human, behind every Social Media account there is a little human that needs to be listened to, let the experts humanize your brand, trust them, because the results won’t take long.

The Alka brand has managed to incorporate all these features for all the products in its portfolio, but especially for SemințeLE  Alka. From the beginning they managed to communicate relaxed and easygoing making the most of it. Their first pillar of communication was “Viața la orizontală” (Life on the horizontal) based on the shape of the packet, which is something innovative, if you unfold it according to the instructions it takes the place of a bowl on any surface you put it on, it practically sits horizontally without dropping the product from it. Funny and very smart pillar. After changing it up on #YouWonder, so they managed to educate their target audience about the premium quality of the product while still using humor. In the 3rd year, we brought the content to meme stage because people already know about the product and we can deliver funny content that the consumer can relate to. But all of this happened by testing.

My point is that brands don’t have to shy away from the new, test while you can and enjoy every post!