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Today's Conversations = 😄 👍 😡.

Today's Conversations = 😄 👍 😡.

It’s been said that "everything old is new again." And that "there's nothing new under the sun." Oh, and also that (courtesy of Justin Timberlake) “what goes around, goes around, goes around, comes all the way back around.”

In terms of how people (and brands) are communicating today, all three of those sayings hit the 🎯, because simple images are starting to completely replace entire words and concepts – something the ancient Egyptians would no doubt recognize.

So how in the 🌎did we get here? The short answer: Too Little  & Too Much 📱.

We’re Busy, Busy, Busy 🏃🏻

It’s no surprise that messages are becoming more visual in nature. After all, simple images are much easier to share than wordy thoughts – especially when one is in a hurry. And we're all in a hurry. So, actually typing “Hi Jane, congratulations on your graduation! I’m so proud of you!” is just too much of a time drag. Today, it’s simply 🎓👏

But the “hurry factor” is only half the issue…

We’re Tethered To Tech📱

Today it’s rare to find anyone under the age of 100 without a smartphone attached to their hip (sometimes literally). This close proximity to internet-enabled devices allows almost all of us to zip off visual messages in the blink of an 👀.

Smart Brands Are On The 🏀

The popularity of simple visuals (particularly emojis) in personal messaging has not gone unnoticed by modern marketers. In fact, many of today’s leading brands – from Coca-Cola to Chevy – have already used emoji-centric campaigns to wow their audiences. In one notable example, Domino’s Pizza allows customers to order a pizza by tweeting or texting 🍕.

Domino's Pizza Emoji Ordering

Brands are even getting the attention of emoji developers by petitioning for their own emojis - case in point: Taco Bell...they got their emoji of choice.

Taco Bell taco emoji

And Dove launched their own emoji keyboard. Twitter even sold custom emojis for seven figures to brands like Coca-Cola and Star Wars too got in the game.

And how about the use of emojis in old-school billboard advertising? The marketers behind Deadpool used two emojis and a single letter to communicate the film’s theatric release via billboard.

Deadpool use of emojis

In case you don’t understand, let us explain this rebus: Skull = Dead; Smiling dung (or chocolate soft serve) = poo; and the L = L. It just doesn’t get any simpler (or more crass) than that!

In Conclusion: 💋

In today’s hurry, hurry, hurry, 140-character-driven world, marketers and brands have no choice but to keep messages captivating, clear and concise. Emojis check all three boxes. Now whether they’re a passing fad or here to stay is anyone’s guess. But one thing’s for sure, emojis are definitely among the most fun and interesting ways that marketers and brands can KISS (keep it simple and short). 

Not seeing our emojis? Take a look at this site to see if you can emoji.

How Marketers Can Leverage The Emoji Trend (MarketingDIVE, March 2016)