Srs Bsns: How Xbox Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Meme

While most brands attempting to use memes or references to other internet culture often come off as cringeworthy, there are some that manage to successfully do so. Despite this, the battle is undoubtedly an uphill one, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few diamonds in the rough.

Anyone who spends time online is probably familiar with some of the legendary meme-oriented brand accounts, such as Wendy’s, Denny's or Steak-umm, but these are certainly the exception to the norm. As is the case with almost all of these, Twitter is typically the place where most of these accounts diverge from corporate dogma.

Xbox’s Twitter presence is perhaps one of the most highly regarded in the gaming industry, and the account frequently makes use of memes without giving off overwhelming “How Do You Do Fellow Kids?” vibes. While the company itself has had its ups and downs, in recent years, Xbox has proven that knowledge of internet culture can go a long way with connecting to consumers.

Since some of the earliest days on Twitter, Xbox has been praised for its responsiveness and customer service, even being awarded “Most Responsive Brand On Twitter” by Guinness World Records in 2010, but merely engaging with consumers on social media isn’t why the brand has organically appeared in memes across sites like Reddit, Instagram and Twitter.

Much like Fall Guys and Wendy’s before it, the secret to Xbox’s meme success boils down to two key areas: knowledge of internet culture and community participation. While these aren’t exclusive to Microsoft’s big gaming giant, they are a bit of a rarity in terms of sheer size and willingness to engage.

One of the company’s strengths in this realm lies in its ability to self-deprecate. When something doesn’t go the way it’s supposed to, gets leaked or becomes the target of mockery, the typical response from most corporate accounts is to ignore, deflect or scramble to explain it away. Xbox is surely guilty of this as well, but not to the extent that it can’t make fun of itself either.

Earlier in September when Xbox had yet to officially announce the entry-level Xbox Series S, the console leaked online and ruined their big reveal. In response, the official Xbox Twitter account reacted with a simple meme to express the awkwardness of the situation. In return, the tweet saw massive engagement and was reposted to sites like Reddit where it was further praised as a humorous response.

Other examples show the effective use of memes as well. Late last month, instead of simply promoting a new feature for the upcoming next-gen console, Xbox UK used a Leonardo DiCaprio Laughing meme to convey both the convenience of its tech in addition to flexing its meme knowledge. Not only was it correctly used, but it was also a currently trending format. Whereas some brands using memes might come off as dated or simply out-of-place, examples like this prove that a meme-savvy social media account can be an effective way to connect while simultaneously promote products or services.

During the recent heyday of the How It Started vs. How It's Going meme, Xbox’s French account participated in the social trend and even managed to correctly use the format. While most were probably pleased to see Xbox simply posting memes and engaging its community, the post also helped to promote Microsoft’s new Flight Simulator and show just how far its tech had come over the years.

Unlike some of the other gaming industry giants, Xbox’s willingness to participate in the community has also proven quite effective. From replying to other brands or competitors in wholesome ways (well, not always wholesomely, to be fair) to replying to random users and even something as small as wishing them a Happy Birthday, Xbox is definitely one of the most active participants in their community — and fans seem to love it.

About a month ago, Xbox’s Twitter account showed some love to Kyoto Animation's wholesome anime Sound! Euphonium, which received a noteworthy amount of engagement from the platform’s users.

Living up to your profile pic with those wholesome Nadeshiko vibes.We salute your positivity! pic.twitter.com/f9TMjYNEkH

— Xbox (@Xbox) September 30, 2020

There are tons of similar examples where Xbox either posts wholesome content to stem the tide of the console war or humanizes what could come off as a sterile brand attempt at grasping for attention and laughs. Even without attempting to force something into becoming a meme, the official account’s posts sometimes wind up becoming a meme organically.

Despite the brand’s ability to show its prowess in internet culture, you could argue that these are still just attempts at yet another corporation hijacking memes and disguising them as advertisements or promotional material. Even so, it’s hard to argue that they’re not effective.