The newest trend in marketing
It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the smallest trend or video can go viral within a manner of days. Such is the case with the latest meme “Damn Daniel”.
In a compilation of Snapchat videos, a high school student films his friend, Daniel, arriving to school over the course of a few different days. He documents Daniel’s different wardrobe choices while continuously stating, “Damn, Daniel!” A few videos show Daniel wearing white Vans in which his friend, Josh, remarks, “Back at it again with the white Vans!”
Brands showing cat-like reflexes
This spread through the Internet like wildfire and has become the latest “thing” everyone is referencing. I first heard about it through Facebook’s trending section, then saw a group of students watching the video at a coffee shop later that day. Right then I knew that it would become the next funniest meme.
That has proven to be true as brands are now getting in on the action. Axe, Clorox, and Zappos have all tweeted about their products, making references to Daniel. The video even caught the attention of Vans, who Daniel inadvertently has been advertising for.
Oh, the places a meme will go
Axe posted a variety of images with the text, “#FindYourMagic. Every. #DamnDaniel. Day.” Clorox produced an image of muddy tennis shoes with the text, “Damn, Daniel. Back at it again with the Clorox.” Zappos posted a photo of white Vans with the caption, “’Back at it again with the white Vans! #DamnDaniel”. They followed it up with a link to an online shoe store stating, “If any Daniel’s need a new pair…” Shoe store DSW also used this as an opportunity to advertise Vans in their store by writing, “Be like Daniel.”
Influencer and meme marketing
Brands taking advantage of Internet sensations as a way to promote their products is a strategic marketing tactic. In the case of “Damn, Daniel”, this has a way of reaching a younger generation.
The #DamnDaniel hashtag itself has taken over Twitter as people continue to make valentines, text posts, and copycat videos of this week’s funniest clip. While the shelf life of videos such as these is not very long, brands are clearly using their time wisely by hopping on the #DamnDaniel bandwagon.
