Emoji’s are becoming an integral part to digital communication. They help to explain how you are feeling, and can put an entirely different vibe on a message;

“I’m so sad”Sadface

“I’m so sad”CryLaugh

The first person may be genuinely upset, whereas the second may be sad that someone ate the last cookie. These are strong indicators of people’s emotions and opinions, so it would make sense that twitter is starting to consider them when targeting advertisements.

Twitter is entirely reliant on user content and contribution, so in order for it to grow it has to consider how its platform is being used. With 92% of the online population using emojis it makes sense that twitter would incorporate this use into it’s targeting for adverts. But is it going to work?

Using emoji tracker you are able to see what emojis are being used and in what context in real time. This can give a good ideas of how certain ones are being used, and if this has any indication that they are looking to purchase the product associated with that emoji. For example:

PlaneThe aeroplane emoji could be a target for airlines, holiday makers and booking websites. But, doePlaneStatss its use reflect that there is opportunity for sales to the people using it? Looking at the tweets associated with this emoji there are very few opportunities. A majority of aeroplane emojis used are included with tweets that  state they have already booked to travel, or are actually on the plane as they tweet! At the time of writing this blog there was only one tweet that indicated a potential interest in spending money on fights, and even that one looked like it might be some way in the future.

PlaneTweet

 

PizzaPizza is another emoji that is said to have potential when it comes to emoji targeting. In theoPizzaStatsry pizza companies could target tweets towards people who have recently used this emoji, under the assumption that they have done so because they want pizza. Once again looking at the use of the slice of pizza emoji, it is clear to see that this may not be effective in practice. Often it is used by people who are showing off that they
already have pizza, which is understandable given its greatness. Although some tweets may be ‘I want pizza’ with the emoji, this appears to be the minority. This being the case, is it really good value to pay for advertisements which may only hit a minority of emoji users that want the product?

 

Admittedly these examples from emoji tracker are a small sample, but it highlights the issues that can be faced with this advertising tactic. Before any company decides this is a good route to go down, a great deal of research will be required. There is no doubt that emojis are a huge part of communication online, and they are used in their millions on a daily basis, but are these being used to highlight the want or need for products or services? Or are they simply a way to jazz up a tweet? It’s safe to say that twitter have conducted a thorough breakdown of emoji targeting, but companies will need to look into the data available to them, undertake some testing and weigh up some of these concerns when looking into using it.