Branded Emoji – The Next Marketing Gold Rush?

Branded Emoji – The Next Marketing Gold Rush?

Symbols drawn with plant dyes and charcoal, pens, pencils, the written language, the typewriter, the Gothenburg press, newspapers, magazines, radio, television, the internet, mobile, apps and now emoji’s Each innovation  dramatically changed communications, education and marketing. Emoji were used some 34,000 years ago by caveman symbolically painting on cave walls.  Today, emoji use is red hot once again on social media and messaging worldwide.  A recent survey said 72% of adults prefer to communicate with emoji’s vs words (TalkTalkMobile).  Are you using emoji’s to reach today's “mobile- millennial media avoiding audience"?

 What goes around comes around.  Emoji are once again being used as communication short cuts to quickly convey emotion without having to say a word. They play straight into a mobile marketer's desire to emotionally connect with a target audiences desired tone and manner to bond brands with a desired buying emotion. Up until recently emoji were very limited in use. Without major application development they have been passive public domain, static images that simply conveyed simple emotions.

  Iconic images have been developed by great brands over many years. Images like Mc Donald’s golden arches, the Nike Swoosh, and Solo’s red cup are instantly recognizable. As passive icons however they are still limiting in what they can be used for. Without costly technology innovation, development and digital integration they will remain simply recognizable icons outside our new mobile driven world.

 Looking ahead, what if you could own a hamburger image and whenever someone saw that image on their digital device they could tap it and be sent offers and communication for your brand?  From a marketers perspective that would be great. But it could also be very confusing. Who owns that icon?

 Before domain registries the net was a free for all. Grab a space and duke it out. – The strongest communicator won. Enter the Go Daddy and a like to deliver an order and ownership of a definable web space. The same thing needs to happen very soon in the mobile space allowing brands and emoji to officially connect.

 Effective advertising practices include putting the benefit in the headline, having a strong call to action and making your visual work together with your words, so one plus one equals three. Emoji have the power to do all of the things expensive advertising does when used in an own-able easy to use manner that lets an audience quickly and easily convey their desires, get offers and develop communities that further brand development and bonding.

 Wisconsin has been known for years as being part of “fly-over country" by venture capitalist.  Recently however “America's Dairyland" is getting to be known more and more as "America’s Innovation Land" because of great cutting edge companies like Epic Systems, Exact Sciences and FluGen to name just a few.  One such company emerging from Madison is BDS Mobile.  BDS is a tech startup that is launching a new mobile communications platform called SmartEmoji™ Technology. SmartEmoji helps brands merge the power of mobile messaging, emoji and marketing.

 So, imagine if you had a new digital technology that seamlessly predicts and injects interactive branded emoji - like logos & products - within everyday social conversations through an innovative keyboard. For example, a text conversation between friends could read "Hey, want to go grab a coffee?" and the word coffee would auto-populate within their predictive texting bar with suggested branded emoji options, like a Starbucks logo or cup, to use instead of words. In a nutshell, that’s what Smart Emoji is all about.

 It’s not only a fun, new way for people and brands to interact but I think it may be a game changer for mobile marketers because of its predictive, interactive and analytic features.

 What do you think- are branded emoji the next marketing gold rush? Is your brand ready to speak emoji? Comment with your thoughts and include an emoji that indicates how you feel.

 Please like and share this post if you find the topic interesting and worthy of further discussion.

 About the Author – Scott Francis is an Interim C.M.O., Marketing Consultant and author of the book “Marketing Is About Making Money.” Scott is a partner in Business Brains, a consortium of Senior Level Strategic “C” Level Executives specializing in strategic planning and business growth initiatives and President of “Topline Development” a Strategic Marketing Consulting Group that helps start-ups and growing companies make major strategic decisions.  Contact Scott at: Scott@ToplineDevelopment.com

Mary Beth McAllister

Designer~Illustrator at MbMcAllister

7y

i want to make my own emoji right now. How do I do it?

too much icon should recognize in the picture and i have no time for that only 576 nanosec or a bit more 😉

Like
Reply
Anne Lee-Archer FAMI (CPM)

Experienced Digital Transformation & Online Growth Strategist. Certified Practising Marketer & Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute.

7y

No. I'm going against the consensus. I don't believe the general public will use them. In fact, I think they will voice their disgust at being so blatantly marketed to, and they will actively avoid companies using them. What unmet need is it solving from the customer's perspective?

Like
Reply
Laura Rice

Renewable Energy - Global Procurement & Supply Chain Professional

7y

Emoji are once again being used as communication short cuts to quickly convey emotion without having to say a word.

Harald Dietrich

Principal Consultant at LEAPFROQ | Expertise in Technology and Agility | Digitalization + Agile = Organizational Intelligence | Project Management in XXL

7y

Interesting indeed. You would have to setup a central emoji hub, where brands can register their emojis and tags are managed, so they get available to everyone. By then they could get integrated into every app and web page easily. I wonder if someone tried something like this already?

To view or add a comment, sign in

Insights from the community

Others also viewed

Explore topics