A24 Rides a Meme Straight to Viral Social Media Glory

October 22, 2024

Justin Kerby

Illustration: Anna Kim, Photos: We Live in Time/A24, Reddit

Picture this: Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh cuddled up on a carousel. Pure romance, right?

But it’s not the lovebirds everyone’s buzzing about on social media—it’s a wild-eyed, chaotic carousel horse that stole the show. When A24 dropped the first still from We Live in Time, the internet took one look at that horse and galloped off into meme territory.  

What followed? Edits of the horse crashing iconic scenes, awkward situations, and anything else the internet could dream up. And instead of jumping in right away, A24 played it cool. They waited until Garfield’s press tour to lean into the joke, sending him on The Late Show with a T-shirt featuring the infamous horse—and he even rocked a denim jacket with an embroidered horse for good measure.  

Marketing pros might say memes move fast, but A24 played the long game, letting Garfield’s charm keep the meme alive. And surprise, that T-shirt? Not for sale yet—but A24 has promised it’s “coming soon.”  

Meme marketing isn’t about being on-brand; it’s about being in on the joke. And A24 nailed it, proving that even a sentimental film can have a little fun.

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Written by

Justin Kerby

Justin is the founder of Something Great Marketing, leading our Vancouver marketing agency. He specializes in content strategy, website design, and branding.

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