Emoji Marketing Has Arrived

Will your marketing message work better with this form of communications?

Keeping up with the development of technological communication is an important part of knowing how to market effectively. The way we speak and write is constantly evolving. It is up to us to make sure that we utilize this knowledge so that we can better relate to the people we advertise to.

Arguably, the most prevalent avenue of communication in today’s world is through social media. The fast-paced nature of this platform requires any message to be not only concise, but also impactful, if it is to grab the attention of its readers during a quick scroll-by. One widely accepted method for accomplishing this is through the emoji.

Origins

Although these icons have only been around for a few years, they evolved from emoticons, which are similar but more primitive pictographs that serve to convey emotions as well. These, in turn, can trace their origins to wingdings and, before that, dingbats. Dingbats have existed since the origins of the printing press as a method of adding ornamental or special characters to pages of text. These decorative inserts allowed pages to be dressed up while saving time in production. Today, however, the use of iconography has developed into something based much more on expression.

Non-verbal engagement

More and more big brands have started experimenting with emoji marketing to connect with their consumer base. Non-verbal communication can be very powerful; symbols are able to communicate somewhat complex emotions rapidly while maintaining a simple message. As consumers, individuals want to feel connected to their brands and honest emotion is a way to achieve that.

Wide acceptance and understanding

You may be concerned that the use of emojis will suddenly limit your audience to specific demographics, but studies have shown that no matter what age they may be, more people are adapting to this style of expression and, consequentially, understand the inferred meaning behind these icons. This infographic from Adweek shows statistics on who uses emojis and why they use them. And get ready for The Emoji Movie, which will be widely released in theaters this summer.

Even so, there is still a time and a place for using such a casual mode of communication. This marketing approach works better on social media platforms than in other forms, for example. While the target audience is quickly expanding, some individuals still may not understand references that are too obscure or hard to translate. The naturally friendly appearance of the emoticons automatically sets a particular tone of voice and should not be used for more serious marketing messages or channels.