I was tweeting away and noticed an ad from Chevrolet with the hashtag #chevygoesemoji. There was a gif, so of course it caught my attention. Now I’m not a Chevy fan or very much into cars at all BUT this whole #chevygoesemoji was intriguing to me. So I started researching it and found this article, “Chevrolet’s All-Emoji Press Release”.
I must say I was pretty dumbfounded because there was no reading the press release at all. It was completely in “emoji” language. Now if you’re not sure what emoji really means, here’s the Oxford Dictionary meaning. You’ve probably seen these – 😋😵😎 right?
Emojis have been around for quite a while starting in Japan and now has taken over the social media world, especially Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. On Instagram, you can actually hashtag emojis so people can search for them.
So… what’s with the craze AND are emojis part of your visual marketing strategy?
It is an amazing visual marketing strategy. However is it right for your brand?
Let’s take a look at some brands that are currently using emojis as part of their social media strategy.
- Chevrolet – press release for their new car geared towards a “younger crowd”
- Dominos – you can order an “easy order of pizza” by using the pizza emoji
- GE – has it’s own periodic table of emojiscience to educate about energy resources
- Taco Bell – petitioned to have the taco as an emoji
These are some big brands using emojis in different ways in their marketing. The question is, if it’s right for YOUR brand and if so, how will it stir up emotion with your audience. Isn’t marketing all about emotions anyway?
Many people may cringe with the sight of many emojis and some may feel it’s outdated or trendy. It would definitely have to mean something to your audience. Really think about emojis in your strategy because it may not work for certain brands. I can see that this can take on a negative effect to a brand, if not played right.
Here’s a video on the do’s and don’ts of emojis:
http://www.cnet.com/videos/share/id/J_BpoCKw7hTN23PevV_NaFvg0E_p6C5j/
As you can see from the video, emojis can hold different meanings and may confuse people.
Here’s a list of popular emoji meanings from my graphic friend, Louise Myers.
It seems that if you have a young adult audience, emoji strategy might work well for you. However if you have an audience that is over 30 years old, you may have to rethink your emoji marketing. It could cause a negative impact to your brand.
A good ‘ole smiley face may be just what your audience needs in your messaging and that’s it.
Is Emoji for you?
Tell me… have you been using emojis in your marketing strategy? I’d love to hear from you and what your favorite emoji is? Let me know in the comments.
Take care,
Lillian De Jesus
Tigerlily 
Hi Lillian, Great post. I loved learning more about emojis. I have seen them and used them some. Of course, it’s great to get a better learning curve on them here. I agree that this is a great marketing strategy… messages simply stated which make people think. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Brenda,
It can definitely be a great marketing strategy if used properly and to the right audience. It’s always a joy having you here!
Take care,
Lillian
Hi Lillian,
I never realized there were and could be so many different meanings to the emojis. I usually stay pretty safe with a heart and a smile.
Thanks for sharing this so we can see that we do have to watch out more about their meanings.
Haha Right, Monna?! I never knew about so many meanings for emojis either. I like to keep it safe too!
Thanks for stopping by and take care,
Lillian
Oh My Lillian,
LOVE you’re blog! You’ve come a long way!! This is like a totally different language isn’t it … I just pick the images I understand and stay away from guessing. Just my luck I would insult someone .. LOL Thank you for another informative, awesome post 🙂
Hi Lesly,
Thanks for the lovely compliment! Emojis can be tricky and is a foreign language to me. Smiley faces and hearts are the best I can do. LOL
Glad you liked this post!
Take care,
Lillian
I’d never heard the term emoji before… only emoticons. When I first looked at it, I thought it looked more like a rebus! But it looks like emojis are kind of a cross between emoticons and rebuses. Interesting at any rate, but I think I’ll stick with the emoticons I’m familiar with. 😉
Hi Willena,
I suppose rebuses are similar to emoji because it’s all about pictures. I found this article that has a great explanation of the difference between emoticons and emojis: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/feb/06/difference-between-emoji-and-emoticons-explained
Basically emojis are a more elaborate form of emoticons. I agree with you on sticking with what I’m familiar with. I’d hate to express the wrong meaning with an emoji. 😉
Take care,
Lillian
Cool featued pic, Lilly! I love visual marketing too!
Thanks Andrea!
I love to use emoji’s when I am commenting and being social on social media, but don’t use so many when writing blog posts and business stuff, mainly the smile and heart.
I find many places don’t support the emoji when you put in the punctuation. I can use my mac and phone emoji apps, but still they don’t always show up on some platforms.
It is not easy to remember the punctuation to create a big range!!
I do love them 🙂
~Jacs
Hi Jacs,
I hear ya! I am very cautious of the way I use emojis as well. I use the shortcut on my Mac – Control Command Spacebar and drag in the emojis rather than use punctuation. It works better for me although depending where you place them they may look a bit different.
Take care,
Lillian
i think they add something to your marketing, i cant put my finger on it … i guess they are just fun
Hi Dexter,
I guess fun is all that’s needed, right?!
Take care,
Lillian