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Forget Your Media Plan. Find a Couch.
Facebook ironically marketed themselves with a...meme?

Hello Creative Souls,
Pop culture isn’t passive. It’s how people express identity, values, humor, and connection.
When a brand taps into that explosion of shared language — a trending meme, a viral photo, a lyric — it stops being an ad. It becomes part of the moment. But only if done with taste, timing, and alignment to brand.
So B2B Brands, don’t jump on every reel trend - that’s actually working against what you’re trying to do.
Enter Facebook’s “Yes, Couch!” campaign: a masterclass in playing in culture’s sandbox without sandboxing your brand.
The Idea
When Calvin Klein’s ad featuring Jeremy Allen White went viral, most people focused on the actor. But hundreds of tweets zoomed in on one random prop: a couch. Facebook saw the meme-making opportunity. They bought the actual couch, listed it on Facebook Marketplace, and let the online moment unfold.
From memes to mainstream, the buzz exploded. Drew Barrymore and Chrissy Teigen gave it away on live TV. All without a media buy. The campaign earned 2.7 billion impressions, and 90% of the sentiment was positive.
Why It Worked
They participated, didn’t hijack. Facebook didn’t force the narrative. They leaned into what was already happening.
Reference + relevance. The couch meme was a moment. Facebook made it a brand story — subtly showcasing Marketplace’s power.
Constraints became advantages. No big production, no script. Just a cultural moment, a listing, and permission to play.
The payoff was emotional, not just tactical. People felt seen. They felt part of the joke. And that belongs better than any ad.
Smarter Marketing Starts Here
Most marketers waste money on channels that don’t actually drive results. The secret? Incrementality.
Our free ebook, Unlocking Incrementality: A Guide for Marketing Success, shows you how to measure what really moves the needle—so you can stop guessing and start scaling.
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Don’t just run campaigns. Run campaigns that count.
Figment’s Deeper Hacks
Culture-first, campaign-second. Don’t force a cultural reference. Wait until culture gifts you one.
Let the platform be your proof. Facebook didn’t just joke — they showed what their product does (selling items).
Stay on brand. The couch fits Marketplace. It wouldn’t have worked for, say, a health insurance brand.
Make it shareable, not staged. A meme can’t feel planted. It has to feel discovered.
Ride, don’t chase. Viral momentum has its own pace. Match it, don’t overdrive it.
Final Word
In a feed full of shouty ads, the brands that win are the ones that whisper in your cultural ear. Facebook’s “Yes, Couch!” moment wasn’t just a stunt. It was a reminder: your brand doesn’t need to force virality. It just needs to belong when the moment shows up.
Because when culture speaks, the brands that speak back right become part of the story.
Figment is written by Abbhinav Kastura, a writer/producer who has spent a decade making impactful internet videos and Guru Nicketan, an advertising nerd, B2B Marketer, stand-up comedian, and a film buff.
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