Twitter has become the first social media platform that lets advertisers target by what emoji a user has tweeted. The idea is that emoji’s are indicators of emotion, or even more specifically wanted actions, which can be used by businesses to target their product marketing. For instance, a hot coffee emoji could spark a Twitter ad from Starbucks or a beer emoji might indicate that the tweeter wants to get a beer and a Twitter geo ad could then target the person from a craft brewery nearby.
It actually is a form of immediacy advertising (coined here), where a user is immediately targeted within seconds or minutes after expressing an interest in something while in casual conversation. Imagine if instead of Twitter this was an actual private conversation and you said, “Let’s grab a beer.” At that moment what if an advertisement appeared in an holographic image right in from of you and your friend? That’s what Twitter is doing on their platform, especially as it relates to emoji targeting.
Twitter noted that one month from today on July 17 is World Emoji Day which is happening because, hey–we use emojis every day, so why not celebrate them? Join the emoji celebration on Twitter at #WorldEmojiDay!
Twitter certainly sees the value of emoji marketing since over 110 billion emojis have been Tweeted since 2014.
Now, advertisers can target people who have recently Tweeted or engaged with Tweets featuring emojis with the help of select Twitter Official Partners: AdParlor, Amobee, HYFN, Perion, SocialCode, and 4C. This new feature uses emoji activity as a signal of a person’s mood or mindset — unlocking unique opportunities for marketers. Now, brands can:
- Connect with people based on their expressed sentiment
- Target people who Tweet food emojis
- Reach people based on their passions
To get your emoji-targeting campaigns started, reach out to one of Twitter’s Official Partners.