In a world where advertising budgets used to rule the marketing kingdom, a new breed of campaigns is quietly staging a rebellion. Forget the glitzy, high-budget video shoots or the star-studded endorsements; today, it’s all about memes and micro-collaborations. Why spend millions on a glossy ad campaign when a well-timed social media post, with the perfect meme, can deliver double the engagement at a fraction of the cost?
The recent collaboration between Lux and Rahul Subramanian is a perfect example of how brands are jumping on trending conversations, tapping into internet humour, and creating impact with quirky, low-budget ideas. Abhinav Ravikumar, Global Brand Director – LUX & Lifebuoy India, Hindustan Unilever, says, “We saw Rahul Subramanian’s organic post as a moment worth tapping into. It aligned with our ongoing ‘Khud ke liye’ narrative for LUX Sandal & Beauty, which celebrates indulgence for oneself. The idea was to drive conversation around the brand through an unexpected and witty collaboration. Through the video, we retained LUX’s signature glamour but also leaned into Rahul’s authenticity and humour to create something fresh and engaging. This was a digital-only campaign, and a quick turnaround was key, so we responded while the moment was still relevant.”
“When Rahul dropped his post, our teams moved quickly. Within hours, ideas were flying, approvals were secured, and Rahul was on board. It was one of those rare moments where everything aligned — quick thinking, shared enthusiasm, and seamless collaboration,” says Hinoti Joshi, Managing Director - Unilever, VML, Singapore.
“This wasn’t just about responding - it was about reframing the narrative. The comments section was proof that it landed. ‘I didn’t expect this from LUX,’ was the overriding sentiment - which is exactly the kind of reaction we wanted from this collab. We were catering to a niche urban audience. But for the audience we wanted to reach, it landed perfectly — and the organic traction proved that,” says Viraj Swaroop, Creative Director, VML, Singapore.
Similarly, comedian Biswa Kalyan Rath’s playful jab at Vijay Sales’ simple name sparked an unexpected collaboration, a series of witty, self-aware Instagram reels that blended humour, product plugs, and even a talking logo.
Britannia too struck gold with its quick-witted response to the viral ‘Prashant’ trend, born from a mispronunciation of croissant turning a fleeting moment into a brand win. Knorr, on the other hand, has consistently leaned on influencer collaborations, with Samay Raina being one of its most notable faces. Even Nestlé’s KitKat has embraced the trend-driven approach, teaming up with young icons like chess prodigy Gukesh to stay relevant in the social media chatter. Similarly, Bingo! from the house of ITC has built a strong presence through influencer tie-ups and meme marketing, proving that relatability often trumps production value in today’s digital-first world.
The days of expensive, meticulously crafted TV spots are slowly being eclipsed by clever creatives that are quick to produce, shareable, and far more relatable to today’s digital-savvy audience. In a landscape where attention spans are short and memes go viral faster than you can say ‘collaboration’, brands are shifting gears, proving that the best content doesn’t always require a big budget, it just needs to know when to strike. Welcome to the age of small-budget meme marketing, where spontaneity and relatability are the real currency, and creativity beats cash every time. According to industry experts, campaigns like these cost only 5 percent of the total budget of ad films featuring celebrities in India.
“ROI is primarily tracked through metrics like engagement rates, click-through rates, sales conversions, cost per acquisition (CPA), and brand sentiment analysis. Tools like Google Analytics, social media insights, and influencer platforms play a critical role in providing real-time, trackable data,” says Rupali Chavan, Senior VP, Mudramax. She adds, “In terms of cost-effectiveness, these approaches often deliver better ROI as they minimize wastage by targeting specific audiences. For instance, a moment marketing campaign tied to a trending event can generate significant buzz and interaction with a fraction of the spend on traditional media. However, the success is contingent on precise targeting, creativity, and timing.”
“Frugality remains a cornerstone of our marketing philosophy. Most of our impactful campaigns have relied on relatability, humour, and cultural relevance, executed with lean budgets, yet delivering high returns,” says Anant Rastogi, Senior Director, Marketing, Zepto.
In the past year (2024) alone, Zepto has achieved the remarkable milestone of producing over 20 brand films across multiple brands, a number that many marketers might not reach in their entire careers. Beyond traditional campaigns, initiatives like the Nostalgia Box for Children’s Day and the Period Care Box have showcased our focus on building meaningful connections rather than relying on hefty expenditures.
Moment marketing is a powerful way for brands to connect with their audience in real-time, creating impactful and memorable campaigns. “At Paytm, we constantly strive to blend creativity with cultural relevance, making our campaigns resonate with diverse audiences. For example, during a recent concert, our campaign, ‘Oh paise poose baare soche duniya, Ahmedabad toh maja ma Paytm kare che,’ celebrated the vibe of the city while highlighting Paytm’s role in the moment. Similarly, Gravero’s party remix has struck a chord with younger audiences, while our playful creative featuring a groom with a QR code garland brought humor and innovation to the wedding season,” says a Paytm spokesperson.
Sonia Sharda, Senior Vice President, Dentsu Creative, notes, “The allocation toward moment marketing, influencer partnerships, and social media campaigns has seen a significant surge. Today, around 30-40% of the marketing budget for many clients is devoted to these formats, a marked increase compared to just a few years ago when it hovered around 10-15%. This shift reflects a broader industry trend: brands are moving towards always-on engagement, where being culturally relevant daily matters as much as traditional long-term brand-building campaigns.”
Wakefit’s ‘Gaddagiri’ campaign was a clever and humorous low budget moment marketing initiative that aimed to highlight the brand’s focus on quality sleep solutions while addressing the issue of sleep deprivation with topical issues that were viral on social media.
“We intentionally avoided all notions of traditional ‘ad films,’ ‘promos,’ or ‘product films’ in the creative process. The result? Content that was social-first and moment-driven, leading to over 30 earned media pieces—many covering all three films. A great example of how quick budget-friendly social content yields high ROI,” says Viren Sean Noronha, Co-founder, The New Thing.
When executed with the right timing and creativity, these low budget campaigns can spark significant word-of-mouth and earned media. They often grab attention more effectively, boosting key brand metrics in ways that traditional advertising can struggle to match in today’s digitally driven landscape.
Sudish Balan, Co-founder & Chief Creative Officer, Tonic Worldwide notes “While I don’t have the exact numbers to corroborate, on Swiggy’s listing day, Zomato’s simple yet impactful social media post congratulating Swiggy garnered significant attention and mentions. It arguably overshadowed Swiggy’s high-budget brand video chronicling their journey from inception to the listing milestone.”
Choosing between a high-budget ad campaign and cost-effective social media creatives hinges on your marketing goals, strategy, product, and category. It also depends on whether the brand aims to highlight grand, larger-than-life moments or focus on the simple, everyday ones. Big-budget campaigns are best suited for building brand equity and crafting emotionally resonant narratives. They excel at establishing a lasting brand presence by delivering impactful and memorable stories.
“Digital marketing has revealed a game-changing insight: simple, timely content often outperforms expensive ads. Through genuine and creative campaigns, we’ve consistently connected with our audience at a fraction of traditional advertising costs. We employ UGC contests, blogs on decor and influencer collaborations for our topical campaigns,” says Reshu Saraf, Head of Integrated Marketing & Communications, Godrej Interio.
For example, brands like Amul have mastered the art of moment marketing, consistently delivering campaigns that deeply resonate with audiences. In contrast, Surf Excel highlights simple, relatable moments of getting dirty while playing, focusing on everyday experiences. Similarly, the iconic Mauka Mauka campaign, though big budget, celebrated the Indian cricket team’s victories, creating a strong emotional connection with viewers.
Poulomi Roy, Chief Marketing Officer of Joy Personal Care (RSH Global) says, “The best approach often combines both strategies, using big-budget campaigns to create broad, impactful narratives and leveraging social media creatives for agility, relatability, and ongoing engagement.”
Does that mean big campaign marketing budgets are on a decline? Experts disagree. “Meme marketing often stems from unplanned campaigns rather than being a predefined brand strategy from the start of the marketing year. Brands typically don’t allocate separate budgets for it upfront. Instead, it tends to be reactive, either responding to an existing meme or leveraging meme culture creatively. By nature, memes are unpredictable; they emerge spontaneously, prompting brands to either react or create something in response. While you can’t forecast or plan for meme trends, incorporating memes creatively into a campaign, especially one tied to your product can significantly enhance business outcomes,” says Yash Kulshresth, Chief Creative Officer, Atom Network.
“There are agencies that specialise in meme marketing and moment-based campaigns, as well as those working on a retainer basis. Retainer agencies may struggle to charge a premium for such efforts, but specialised agencies excel in leveraging influencers or viral moments, allowing them to charge reasonable fees while maintaining healthy margins. It’s not simply about margins driving this trend, it’s about how an agency pitches the idea. This could range from something as simple as a tweet capitalising on a trending moment to a more comprehensive campaign involving a celebrity, which might later evolve into a long-term partnership with the brand,” says Anadi Sah, National Creative Director, tgthr.
When deciding between a big-budget production and a smaller-scale effort, the challenge often lies in how agencies and production houses can scale their imagination to match their vision. While a creator might envision executing an idea in a particular way, limitations, whether budgetary or logistical, often result in simpler formats like piece-to-camera videos, which can constrain the concept. Ultimately, it comes down to the agency’s ability to convince the client of the most effective way to present and execute an idea, ensuring it resonates closely and is relatable to the target audience.
There are significant challenges too with low budget moment marketing. “Traditional campaigns, tracked through organised TAM/BARC reports, offer clear, long-term insights. In contrast, social media lacks a unified ROI measurement platform, making tracking more fragmented. Traditional ads are great for structured brand-building, while social media excels in quick engagement and adaptability. Social media also offers the means to understand the emotions of the target audience. For example, we can use social listening tools to observe conversation around a campaign/social media content piece. In other words, social media provides an opportunity to understand the sentiments of our audience for specific campaigns,” says Poulomi Roy.
So, are brands leaving behind high budget campaigns? Most brands point towards the co-existence of both. “The future of advertising lies in adaptive storytelling, combining the long-term power of traditional campaigns with the immediacy and intimacy of agile formats,” says Sonia Sharda.
In the end, it’s clear that the advertising world is no longer about choosing between big budgets and small-scale creativity, it’s about finding the sweet spot where spontaneity meets strategy. While high-budget campaigns continue to have their place, the era of meme marketing, quick collaborations, and relatable moments is here to stay. After all, in a digital age where attention spans are fleeting, brands that can adapt, react, and laugh along with their audience are the ones that will truly win. So, whether it’s a meme, a tweet, or a multi-crore ad, the real question is: How fast can you click ‘share’?
