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James Ashe, Managing Partner

James Ashe, Managing Partner

It’s Been Emotional!

You might have missed it the other day, but it was World Emoji Day. No, really, it’s a proper day; we promise!

Social media users and brands around the globe took to the internet to celebrate a medium of communication that has seen its use explode in recent years. These days, it seems that there is no point saying it with words when a small icon will do instead.

Last year, it was reported that emoji is the fastest growing language in the UK, while some of the biggest papers in the UK now write news stories when new icons are released. But it’s not only 13-year-old kids who are using emojis to get their message across.

Some of the biggest brands in the world are using them in their advertising campaigns, celebrities are creating their own bespoke range of smiley-faced graphics and even the Pope has his own emoji.

So to mark the occasion, we've showcased some of our favourite ways that brands have used emojis.

Pepsi

We love the way Pepsi used emojis to tell a love story for the modern age without using a telephone or keyboard. Capturing the moment a young guy proposes to his girlfriend without uttering a word, perhaps Pepsi’s video has foretold the future of relationships. All we need is an emoji for ‘I do’ and the wedding ceremony is sorted.

Chevrolet 

We like it when brands do something to surprise us. American car giant Chevrolet broke the public relations mould by announcing its new model with a press release written entirely in emoji icons. Teasing the Cruze to numerous international markets, the car brand decided that a press release composed using only emojis was the way to go due to the international understanding of the graphics.

Aloft Hotel

Stay at the Aloft Hotel in Liverpool and you can take advantage of the world’s first emoji-only room service. To place an order, guests just have to text the symbols for what they’d like delivered from a specially designed room service menu, along with their room number using its ‘text it, get it' service.

Ikea

We’ve all been there – a trip to Ikea turns into a row and leads to a session of counseling with Relate. Claiming it knows marriage is hard work, the brand created 100 custom emojis designed to reduce household stress. Instead of bickering about who should vacuum the house, couples could instead send each other an emoji of a given chore that needs to be completed, reducing marital conflict. And before you ask, yes, there was an icon for Swedish meatballs.

Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut looked to grab a slice of the action on World Emoji Day by launching a limited edition menu for the day that was made up entirely of icons. Only available in six of its restaurants across the UK, diners could either crack the pictorial code to order, or, if it was all a bit much, they could revert back to the more traditional text-based menu.

Hopefully you yes our list and didn’t think it was rather 

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# World Emoji Day, Social Media, Marketing, PR