The 100 Million Dollar Frown
The internet has given rise to the overnight sensation. In a matter of hours your little twitter post, youtube video, or facebook status could blow up, sending you into a whirlwind of international fame. Take a look at #alexfromtarget, or “Damn Daniel”, both regular kids turned overnight sensations. Yet, as fast as they both blew up, practically the next week they were back being regular kids. Is it possible to make it last? Can you capitalize on your meme status? I remember when I was in middle school every meme that came my way was turned into some kind of auto tuned song at an attempt to make a few bucks (anyone remember “hide yo kids, hide yo wife?”), I had a friend last summer who sold a video of himself throwing fire soaked basketballs to UniLad that went viral for a while. But none of these examples have created a lasting change, or launched any careers (although, my friend does have a lot more Instagram followers). Other famous “Meme people” such as ‘Bad Luck Brian” (Kyle Craven)
or “ERMAHGERD” (Maggie Goldenberger)
just enjoy the occasional laugh at seeing their horrid childhood photo plastered across the inter web.
So, is it possible to turn your 15 minutes into 15 million? How about 100 Million?
Meet Tabatha Bundesen. You may not know her name, but you certainly know the meme she is famous for. The infamous Grumpy Cat. Bundesen worked as a waitress in a red lobster when she adopted a cat with a form of dwarfism leaving her with a permanent unimpressed glare.
Bundesen’s brother posted the original picture to reddit, and the next day it had over one hundred million shares on Imgur. In an interview for Telegraph, Bundesen stated “I was able to quit my job as a waitress within days of her first appearance on social media and the phone simply hasn’t stopped ringing since”. Bundesen wasted no time capitalizing on her kitty, starting Grumpy Cat Limited in 2012 which produces countless merchandise, a NYT best seller, sponsorships and a movie (Check out the website here). Today, her feline friend’s net worth is speculated to be around 100 million. ONE HUNDRED MILLION.
Bundesen turned her chance meme into a household name, which is a pretty incredible accomplishment. But how did she do it? And is she the exception, or can her story become the new rule?
Back in 2012 Bundesen was handed an audience on a silver platter and has managed to keep them relatively interested. What may be the key to Grumpy Cat’s success is how marketable she is to different populations. Her peculiar face appeals to the Y/A audience on the internet, but her character is also appealing to children. The key to capitalizing the meme of Grumpy Cat has been turning her into a fully fledged character, that can be put into many different contexts without it feeling forced. A Grumpy Cat book or movie or plush toy makes sense since she is an endearing character like Snoopy or Garfield, rather than a person. In fact, we forget that behind “Grumpy Cat” there is a women raking in the cash, which I believe makes her so appealing. Consumers might feel silly buying merchandise based of a random person trying to make bank off a fluke- but a kitty? Much better.
Bundesen is not the only one behind Grumpy Cat’s fortune, Ben Lashes, self proclaimed “Meme Manager” (Meme-ager?) was hired by Bundesen early on to help market the madness behind the cat. He also has been on the team of other famous memes personas like Keyboard Cat. His expertise is leveraging the meme power and fusing it with brand power and embraces a well done partnership. In an interview for Think Big he states “I see a real difference between someone adding to the art and culture, and someone trying to steal something for a quick buck. It’s pretty easy to discern between the two sides”. He then goes on to list some successful meme- brand partnerships (Read the full interview here).
Bundesen cat is not the only one to have leveraged her meme power, “Over Attached Girlfriend” (Laina Morris) managed to leverage her meme status to launch a youtube career, and “Scumbag Steve” (Blake Boston) tried to launch a music career. But very few have come close to the sheer power, and marketability of Grumpy Cat. So I guess its a little bit of luck, not all of us have an adorable kitty with a frown in our back pocket. But on the other hand, it comes down to making the right business decisions that push your meme past the web, and into the consumers- without making it feel unnatural (we all remember the Damn Daniel phone commercial, right?).
