HAMLET – March Madness is no longer reserved just for college basketball, and since the beloved Tar Heels have been knocked out of the ACC tournament, the energy can be refocused on Richmond Community College’s Meme Madness.
In the first week of March, Richmond Community College invited any and all affiliates of the college to create a meme promoting RCC, its programs or services, and then share it on their personal Facebook page, encouraging others to like and share it on their social media networks as well.
Just a quick caveat/social media tutorial: according to lifewire.com, a “meme” is a virally-transmitted cultural symbol or social idea. The majority of modern memes are captioned photos that are intended to be funny, while other memes can be videos and/or verbal expressions. Some memes include heavier or more philosophical content. The basic element of a meme is that they spread from person to person quickly through social media.
“Obviously, social media is a great marketing tool,” says Wylie Bell, Director of Marketing and Communications for Richmond Community College.
She expressed a shared effort in the promotion of RCC. “You can always drive content on your page, but it’s always good to get your audience involved and drive it as well.”
According to RCC’s webpage for the contest, on March 12th, 64 participants with the highest number of shares for their meme will be announced for advancement.
Bell stated via email, “We have emailed those who registered to participate in the Meme Madness in March Tournament to let them know they have advanced to round 2.”
She continued, “We did not have 64 participants; however, we have enough to continue the contest.”
Regardless of the numbers, the goal is being achieved, people are participating and the word about all that RCC has to offer to the community at large is being shared.
In true bracket system fashion, over the following week, the first round picks will create and share a new meme on Facebook, tagging Richmond Community College using #richmondcctrending.
The winners with the highest number of shares for their meme will be announced for advancement on March 19th.
The Final Four participants will receive a gift bag of prizes; final two will receive a $100 gift card redeemable at the College Bookstore; tournament winner receives $250 Amazon gift card.
In an official statement, Bell says, “The Meme Madness in March Tournament is a fun and creative way for people to promote their hometown college on Facebook. We are excited to have people participating, and we look forward to seeing how many shares people can get with their memes. This is the type of engagement we were striving for when we created the tournament to help promote the College’s services and programs.”
For more information and to continue tracking the memes in each round, visit http://richmondcc.edu/meme-madness-march and the Richmond Community College Facebook page.
Final Four participants will receive a gift bag of prizes; final two will receive a $100 gift card redeemable at the College Bookstore; tournament winner receives $250 Amazon gift card.
1. Create a meme promoting RichmondCC, its programs or services. See sample meme above.
2. Share it on Facebook and encourage your friends to also share it. Make sure to tag (@RichmondCommunityCollege) on Facebook in your post and use the appropriate hashtag (#) for the week.
3. Memes must not use profanity or contain any political statement. All memes must promote the College in a positive light in order to be considered for the Meme Madness in March Tournament.
4. March 2 – 9: Register for the Meme Madness in March Tournament; create and share your meme on Facebook, tagging Richmond Community College. Use #richmondccmadness.
5. March 12: 64 participants with the highest number of shares for their meme will be announced for advancement.
6. March 12 – 16: Those 64 participants will create and share a new meme on Facebook, tagging Richmond Community College. Use #richmondcctrending.
7. March 19: The Sweet 16 participants with the highest number of shares for their meme will be announced for advancement.
8. March 19 – 23: The Sweet 16 participants will create and share a new meme on Facebook, tagging Richmond Community College. Use #crazy4richmondcc.
9. March 26: Final Four participants with the highest number of shares for their meme will be announced for advancement.
10. March 26 – 30: Final Four participants will create and share a new meme on Facebook, tagging Richmond Community College. Use #go2richmondcc.
11. April 2: Meme Madness in March Final Two participants will be announced!
12. April 2 – 5: Final Two participants will create and share a new meme on Facebook, tagging Richmond Community College. Use #richmondccviral.
13. April 6: Meme Madness in March Tournament winner will be announced! #richmondccmadnesswinner.
