Emojis can add tone, a visual cue or a moment of playfulness to a marketing message. They work best when they support words the audience can already understand, rather than carry an essential instruction or promise by themselves.
Use them as a choice to test in suitable marketing campaigns, not a guarantee of engagement, loyalty or sales.
Understand the medium and its limits
Modern emoji use originated in Japan, and the Unicode standard supports their exchange between systems. A standardized character is not necessarily an identical picture on every device. Designs, supported sequences and presentation can differ.
Meaning also depends on the audience and surrounding text. A symbol intended as friendly or humorous may appear ambiguous or inappropriate in another context. Avoid describing emojis as a universally understood language or a reliable way to express sarcasm without words.
Give the emoji a small, clear job
A relevant symbol might draw attention to a heading, soften a casual greeting or support a genuinely playful message. Keep the main meaning in readable text and avoid filling a paragraph with repeated icons.
For product information, a support notice or a sensitive subject, clarity takes priority over decoration. Check whether the tone fits the situation and the expectations of the audience.
Check the actual display
Preview the post or email on common devices and small screens. Some newer sequences may display differently or fail to appear as expected. Do not use an emoji as the only label for a required action, price condition or important status.
Consider the experience of people using assistive technology. A long chain of decorative characters can make a message harder to navigate or understand. Read the text without the icons and check whether the essential information still works.
Read research for its actual scope
The paper linked here as a recent study was published in 2021 and examined emoji, playfulness and brand engagement on Twitter. Its abstract describes observational data and experiments, with effects depending on the relationship between the text and emojis.
That is not a universal 25% engagement increase for every platform, brand or message. Use research to form a testable idea, then assess the actual audience and objective. A reaction count does not automatically establish a sales benefit.
Learn from historical campaigns without copying them
In 2015, Domino’s introduced a Twitter/pizza-emoji route to allow customers to order after the necessary profile and Easy Order setup. This is an example of a symbol connected to a defined workflow, not confirmation that the same ordering route remains available today.
For everyday content, keep a similarly clear connection between the cue and the task. To evaluate whether emojis are effective in email marketing, compare a specific message change rather than assuming a subject-line decoration improves attention or conversion.
The image above is an original conceptual illustration of emoji-based communication, not a reproduction of a Pepsi advertisement or its packaging.
Pepsi’s 2016 “Say It With Pepsi” campaign used proprietary emoji-inspired designs across packaging and advertising. It illustrates a visual campaign concept; the existence of the campaign does not prove a particular engagement uplift. Brand-owned artwork and emoji renderings still require appropriate rights for reuse.
Test for understanding and useful response
Ask suitable readers what the message means and whether the tone fits. Where practical, compare a version with a relevant emoji against a clear text version, keeping other important conditions comparable.
Review qualified clicks, useful replies, task completion or another relevant outcome alongside reactions. In email, privacy features can limit open reporting. Keep the approach only when it helps the actual message and does not reduce accessibility or accuracy.
Meet the Author
Anna Mosq is a social media marketer who has a passion for helping startups create a good online reputation and help them advance in their business goals. She is also a food enthusiast at heart and would often blog about it.
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