Head of Meme Culture

Role Overview

As Head of Meme & Viral Content, you will lead Barcode’s efforts to craft culturally resonant, on-brand memes and short-form assets that drive engagement, brand affinity, and earned reach. You’ll combine a deep understanding of internet culture, sharp comedic instincts, and data-driven optimization to set the tone for Barcode’s social channels and fuel influencer campaigns with fresh, meme-ready assets.

Key Responsibilities

Meme Strategy & Ideation

• Develop a dynamic meme roadmap aligned to brand campaigns, product launches, and trending moments.
• Work with Brand & Creative teams to translate briefs into meme-able concepts that reinforce brand voice.

Content Creation & Execution

• Write, design, or oversee creation of static and animated memes (GIFs, short loops) optimized for Instagram, Twitter/X, Facebook, and TikTok.
• Collaborate with in-house designers, videographers, and freelance illustrators to produce high-velocity meme assets.

Trend Monitoring & Rapid Response

• Maintain a real-time dashboard of emerging meme trends, viral formats, and platform algorithm shifts.
• Execute “meme drops” within 1–2 hours of trend peaks to maximize reach and shareability.

Performance Analytics & Optimization

• Define and track KPIs: engagement rate lift, share velocity, hashtag adoption, and earned media value.
• A/B test formats, tones, and captions; iterate based on platform insights and community feedback.

Influencer & Community Collaboration

• Partner with influencer marketing teams to co-create memes and short-form content with creator partners.
• Build and engage with niche online communities (e.g., subreddit moderators, meme pages) for organic amplification.

Governance & Brand Safety

• Establish meme-approval workflows, tone guidelines, and “no-go” content lists to ensure on-brand, culturally sensitive outputs.
• Coordinate with legal/compliance on usage rights for meme templates and third-party assets.

Must-Have Qualifications & Experience

• 5+ years in social media, digital content, or creative roles with a focus on meme marketing or viral content.
• Proven track record of creating or overseeing memes that achieved >1M organic impressions.
• Deep fluency in global and Indian internet culture, meme subcultures, and platform-specific formats.
• Strong writing skills with a knack for pithy, witty captions and punchlines.
• Experience with social analytics tools (e.g., Sprout Social, Brandwatch) and rapid-response workflows.

Core Competencies & Skills

• Cultural Curiosity:

  Insatiable appetite for scrolling, tracking early meme signals, and decoding subcultures.

• Creativity & Humor:

  Ability to ideate fresh, share-worthy content that balances humor with brand messaging.

• Agility & Speed:

  Comfortable working in tight timelines; excels under rapid-turnaround pressure.

• Collaboration:

  Skilled at rallying designers, influencers, and community managers around a viral idea.

• Analytical Mindset:

  Data-driven approach to measuring virality and refining concept effectiveness.