How David Block Leverages Memes for Digital Marketing in Fintech
Memes aren't just for Discord threads and Reddit karma. Learn how David Block leverages the power of memes for Fintech marketing.
In 2011, memes were just starting to become a part of pop culture. Some people took them seriously, most people didn’t, and assumed that they were a passing phase. David was one of the former, someone who stuck with the growing meme space, creating multiple memes everyday for mobile apps.
Memes have come so far from where they were back 5 years ago, and so has David. As a community manager and copywriter for Guarda, a Fintech company, David continues to incorporate and create memes for work.
“Memes are more than just images, GIFs, and videos - it’s more about the language.”
Could you tell me more about what you do and how you got into making memes?
I’m the “marketing guy” at Guarda. Guarda is a non-custodial wallet, so I work with the different web3 companies. My job is to make sure that we produce quality content and present it to the audience. I like to say that I’m not just selling the product, I’m more about educating people - making sure that people understand what they can use certain services and platforms for.
thank you @unstoppableweb @thelizmorrison @PartnerWithUD 😎 pic.twitter.com/DBcfuLR2qL
— Guarda (@GuardaWallet) September 21, 2022
Before I joined Guarda, I was solely making memes. I was in charge of a meme division with one of the major mobile apps, where we’d release memes everyday, so I had to make sure we were sharing the latest and freshest memes with our online audience.
I’m sure I’m not the only one wondering, but what is a “meme division”?
Before memes became cool, back in 2011, I had to study memes. I put together a dismal database for different memes - the basics, with the black frame and simple images. We needed to have a small collection of these basic memes ready so that we could use them in case we had to mention a product, and I was in charge of maintaining we had this collection in the database. I would train people that had a decent sense of humor, and work with them to make sure we’re presenting quality content everyday. We were working on anywhere from 60 to 120 memes a day.
We would work with our online audience - we had different communities that would help us come up with relevant information, gamers, people who are into politics, and so on. Back when people thought memes were a passing pop culture trend, we still posted these everyday. Now, everyone is using the meme language, you can look anywhere and there are memes.
How did you specifically recruit people with a sense of humor?
I would just talk to them a few times, and during those conversations, it really shows if a person has a sense of humor. If they’re not into joking, I believe that you can’t train them, you’re not able to teach someone how to have a sense of humor - it’s just something you sense. I met some great people, and they’re still working with that company today, producing content.
Are you still making memes for your current role in Fintech?
When I first joined Guarda, I had this idea that we should definitely have a dedicated meme account. Other companies have them as well, even though they don’t do much for the company, the memes don’t get popular or anything, but I still make memes when we have to announce something.
— Guarda Web3 Memes (@MemeGuarda) September 21, 2022
I’ll give you an example: we recently launched a “Learn & Earn” campaign with one of our partners, QTUM. I was in charge of adding memes and different GIFs to illustrate the questions, and feedback that we received was incredible. Hundreds of people are saying “Oh, I love this!”, “I love the choice of GIFs!”, “You should do more of these!”, “We need a meme contest!”. I previously spoke to Mike from Baby Doge Media and a meme contest was mentioned, so maybe we’ll get to do one this year.
Memes are more than just images, GIFs, videos, and what not - it’s more about the language. As a copywriter, I see a lot of value in the language. When you come up with a copy for an ad, let’s say you have to illustrate it, you can use a meme. But it’s important not to overdo it. You don't want people who are not familiar with the format to say, “Oh, what is that? I don’t understand, it’s just a funny dog”. It’s important to find the right amount of meaning.
— Guarda Web3 Memes (@MemeGuarda) July 14, 2022
How did you find Kapwing, and how does it contribute to your workflow?
It was pretty random, one day, I was sitting at Starbucks or something. There was something I had to do, so I probably did a search and saw some mention of memes, so I think that’s how I found Kapwing. Once I found Kapwing - I liked the name, read about the company, and decided to try it out.
Prior to Kapwing, I tried using so many different programs, and they just didn’t work - some companies would ask me for money right off the bat. Then I downloaded one of the apps, but my Mac refused to work, and my camera stopped functioning.
I ended up using Kapwing to record the video, edit the audio, and add background music, which was a game changer because I don’t have to worry about copyright infringement. My absolute favorite feature from the platform is hands down the meme templates. Having these ready made, and up to date templates streamlines the process of making memes whenever I need them.
@unstoppableweb pic.twitter.com/IywzwOZi9T
— Guarda Web3 Memes (@MemeGuarda) October 6, 2022
My work is not limited to just making memes though. In this digital marketing age, there are also times when I’ll use Kapwing to cut videos, interview videos, into shorter clips for Twitter. I use Kapwing for pretty much anything and everything that has to do with content creation.
For those who have been with Kapwing since the beginning, you know we love a good meme or two. It was fascinating to talk to, and learn from David, who has been in the meme game since the beginning. If you also enjoyed this, be sure to keep an eye out for the coming articles featuring creators, the projects they’re working on, and how they use Kapwing to share their messages with the world!
Are you a creator who’s interested in being featured in a spotlight? Check out this blog post for more information on this series, and submit an application to be featured.
