2021 Social Media Trends That Prove Being Funny Can Drive Serious Business

It’s been a long year of highs and lows, but the internet is always delivering! As many businesses returned to pre-COVID level marketing efforts, memes were plenty to provide good laughs and ammo for amazing social media content. 

Often seen as laughable or “trying too hard”, hopping on the latest memes is actually a great way to capitalize on your audience’s attention and humanize your brand on social media. Check out these highlights from 2021 and the businesses we think nailed it!

Bernie Sanders’s mittens

Starting the year off strong, Bernie Sanders and his iconic fashion choices made a big splash on the internet in January 2021. An image of the politician bundled up at Joe Biden’s inauguration quickly became the meme of the internet. Brands and celebrities alike began photoshopping him into every image imaginable. Some of our favorites include Benefit Cosmetics, Shopify, and Etsy.

TokBad Logo Redesigns on Tik

When TikToker and design school graduate Emily Zugay went viral for her hilariously bad logo redesigns, the Detroit Lions went all in. After asking her to redesign their logo, the NFL team created brand new merch and presented it to their players in this iconic video. The shirts ended up being a big hit in the Lions’ online store, earning the brand not only thousands in merchandise sales, but also priceless exposure to a key younger demographic. 

Noodle the Pug’s no-bones days

Who would have thought a 13-year-old pug named Noodle would get us through the year? But nonetheless, the TikTok star, who either wakes up on a “bones” day (when he can stand up and take on the day) or a “no-bones” days (when he just flops down and does nothing) was the most relatable celebrity of 2021. And, brands took notice. Check out this amazing post by Ohio State Football.