Emojis are us, we are emojis. Like it or not, they are now ingrained in our lexicon and therefore serve as an extension of cultures around the world as we avidly click on our go-to emoji to express what’s on our minds.
But what about brands? What’s their go-to click in the ever-increasing emoji stockpile?
To mark yesterday’s World Emoji Day, Socialbakers released research on the top 20 emojis used by brands on Instagram. According to their tabulation, the heart eyes have it. Among the top 300 Instagram Brand pages, the heart eye emoji came out on top with its loving (somewhat obsessive) looking gaze – having been used more than 2,000 times from February 1- May 31 says Socialbakers.
Coming in close behind were the heart emoji, camera flash emoji, and the sparkle emoji – which we think is a bit bland and in need of a turn of the century update.
Socialbakers told us that the top emoji choice by brands “comes as no surprise as these align most closely with Instagram’s purpose as a platform, being a space where people can show their treasured moments through pictures.”
Emoji Use by Industry
Apparently, there are trackable trends on which emojis differing industries prefer. Matching the data above, the heart eye emoji is one the most used across industries being applicable to a wide range of products.
According to Socialbakers, some of the “more surprising” emojis used per industry was the winking emoji for healthcare, finance and conglomerates and the fire for emoji for software.
Resonance with Consumers
According to a survey by Adobe, over half of emoji users said they are more likely to open an email from a brand that has an emoji in the subject line. The survey also found that nearly half (44%) said they are more likely to purchase products advertised using emojis.
Them emojis got them some sway, huh?
For the record, for me personally, this is my favorite. I have never actually worn a cowboy hat – perhaps it’s just a phase.
Giddy up.
