Memes are a necessary, and fun, evil of staying relevant in a fast-moving social media world, and they deliver outsized ROI. They let us meet audiences where they already are, using familiar formats to break through the scroll at a fraction of the cost of traditional content.

In this example, a meme produced in under 30 minutes generated more than 2 million views—essentially functioning as a widely read press release about wage violations. That kind of reach, speed, and efficiency is hard to ignore. When done well, humor lowers defenses, boosts shareability, and turns passive viewers into active participants.