TikTok meme and creators
An AI‑generated dance video by TikToker @reqdeca kicked off the viral ‘Rick and Morty Dance’, pulling more than two million views as the meme spread across the platform. (sg.news.yahoo.com) At the same time brands are leaning creator‑first on TikTok — for example, travel company Esky launched a TikTok‑first campaign with agency The Social CliQ to prioritize short, creator‑led outdoor content. (marketech-apac.com)
A strange, AI-made dance clip on TikTok has turned into a fast-moving meme just as brands are shifting more of their marketing to creators. (yahoo.com) (marketech-apac.com) Yahoo reported on April 16 that TikTok user @reqdeca’s “Rick and Morty Dance” video had passed 2 million views as users remixed the format across the app. Know Your Meme said the original animation was posted on March 28, 2026, and spread in early April. (yahoo.com) (knowyourmeme.com) Know Your Meme said the clip shows Cartoon Network characters including Rick and Morty dancing to a remix of The Smiths’ “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now.” The site said the video was “likely made using AI,” a detail Yahoo also highlighted in its write-up of the trend. (knowyourmeme.com) (yahoo.com) The meme is landing as marketers put more weight on TikTok videos that look like posts from creators instead of polished ads. TikTok for Business said in a November 24, 2025 post that creator-made ads on the platform “consistently outperform” non-creator ads. (ads.tiktok.com) That shift showed up this week in Australia, where Esky launched a TikTok-first campaign with The Social CliQ. Marketech APAC reported on April 15 that the agency gathered 16 creators for a one-day Gold Coast shoot that produced more than 50 videos and 40 images. (marketech-apac.com) Campaign Brief and Mediaweek both said Esky’s new push moves the brand toward an always-on social model built around short outdoor clips made for TikTok. The Social CliQ has managed Esky’s Instagram, TikTok, user-generated content, influencer and paid boosting programs since 2025, according to those reports. (campaignbrief.com) (mediaweek.com.au) The contrast is narrow but important: one side is a meme that spread because users found it funny enough to copy, and the other is a brand campaign built to borrow that same native style. In both cases, the winning format is short, remixable video that fits the “For You” feed instead of interrupting it. (yahoo.com) (ads.tiktok.com) (marketech-apac.com) TikTok already has older “Rick dance” posts and hashtags on the platform, but this version is tied to a March 2026 upload and a fresh wave of edits and imitations. That makes the current meme less a one-off joke than another example of how quickly a single creator post can become a template for both users and advertisers. (tiktok.com) (knowyourmeme.com)
