I've been on a Sting kick lately, so I transferred all my old Police CDs to iTunes. When I listened to their classic De Do Do Do De Da Da Da today, it struck me that I had no idea what the heck the song meant. I guess I always assumed it was supposed to be nonsensical, but having been a fan of Sting for a long while now, I began to suspect otherwise.

If you actually read the lyrics, the song is about the power of words in spite of their simplicity. Can you think of four symbols that, when arranged in a certain order, convey an idea so powerful that it forms the basis for your closest, most treasured relationships with people? Try L-O-V-E.

Think about it: four symbols that by themselves represent nothing more than basic sounds we can create with our mouths, but when you arrange them in this particular order they describe the basis for nearly all close human relationships. They form the basis for entire religions. This is an example of the power of memes. Here's a quote from De Do Do Do De Da Da Da that sums it up pretty well:

    Poets, priests and poiticians
    Have words to thank for their positions
    Words that scream for your submission
    And no one's jamming their transmission

The idea behind memetics is that ideas, or memes, form human cultures by "jumping" from person to person in a manner similar to how biological viruses jump from person to person via infection. They "scream for your submission, and no one's jamming their transmission." But that doesn't mean there's no interference. For advertisers, there's plenty. That's why I think the science of Memetics could help us all communicate more effectively with our audiences.

I love thinking and talking about this stuff, so give me a shout. I'd love to map out the whole concept of memes for your advertising or marketing club. Click the links on this page to learn more. Meanwhile, give that old song a listen. In addition to describing memes, it's a pretty catchy meme in and of itself.