“When you are talking about memes, you are talking about reach! Brands nowadays are all looking to create engaging and viral content that looks natural and organic. The only way to create something like this is producing work that people can genuinely connect with. Comedy pages are legitimate channels that create content based upon the mood of the nation and current events; so it’s very raw and authentic communication that resonates with mass audiences,” says Mohamed Reda.
In a matter of eight short months, Egyptian meme page ‘Memebook’ has managed to generate 80,000 Facebook fans, 6,000 Instagram followers and an organic reach of 2.5 million people. Mohamed Reda, a full-time Creative at Tarek Nour Communications and Property Advisor, Youssef El Tammamy, are the two funny men behind the viral sensation.
Via Mohamed Reda
“Brands have a challenge in creating this type of content so they partner with us to co-curate messages that are relevant. We are constantly receiving briefs to include brands in our content, and we are very picky about it because we really respect our fans. We don’t want them to feel bombarded with subliminal messaging, so whenever the brand is irrelevant to our audience, we simply disregard the brief,” adds Youssef El Tammamy.
Via Youssef El Tammamy
Reda and Tammamy initially started out by posting funny and entertaining content to their personal Facebook pages, just for the fun of it. When large audience numbers started positively reacting to their posts, they decided to join forces and create what is now known as Memebook.
When it came to disclosing their clients, Reda was very specific with what he had to say.
“Currently, we can’t disclose the brands we collaborate with because the work is completely subliminal and authentic. We work with our clients on a confidentiality bases; so that the content resonates without having a paid or sponsored approach and that’s why it’s successful. The moment the message is forced, we lose our audience. Brands must not underestimate the intelligence of Egyptians on social media; they know exactly who is doing what and why.”
“Our source of income is actually doing what we like most and that’s joking around. So basically, brands come and ask us to make fun of them, for a specific budget. Reach is the name of the game, and so they view publicity as a win, even if it’s a joke. It really is the ultimate win-win situation,” says Tammamy.
I was intrigued but still a little skeptical, as my dream job actually entails creating memes for a living. So I went on to ask if they considered their page an actual business.
“Yes, 100 percent! The culture and landscape of businesses and jobs worldwide is changing. The norm of doing business from an office or in the traditional sense has now diversified because of social media and the digital world. Today, what started out as a page for cultural entertainment, is and will continue to be a creative hub for audiences to tune in and enjoy themselves. Even when it continues growing as a brand or a business we will remain true to our core essence,” says Reda.
The two men contribute their page’s success to: observations, insights, and confidence. In line with their mass audience following, they are also followed by celebrities and creative masterminds throughout the region. Their content mostly goes viral on the “dark web” through WhatsApp, Facebook and IG Messages, which is the way most people share content nowadays.
Check out the Memebook Instagram page here and Facebook page here.
