Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Paula Bračko, Account Manager – Kontra Agency
As a means of communication, language is constantly changing and adapting, and it doesn’t have the same history in all cultures and societies. There have been many discussions on the first letters which people used served, but pictograms are present in most communicology theories. It’s about a pictorial sign that represents a concept, idea or word. They were used by the ancient Sumerians, Egyptians, Chinese, and even we use them today – it’s just that we call them Emojis. In digital written communication, and with the popularization of social networks and the massive use of smartphones, it has become almost unimaginable to communicate without them. Indeed, on a daily basis we exchange over 6 billion Emojis via mobile messaging apps. Some use them more, some use them less, but one thing is certain – Emojis are not a passing trend.
Like it or not, the little yellow emoticons are here to stay
Let’s recall the correspondence before Messenger, WhatsApp, Viber and Slack: we used emoticons and stickers in Pidgin, eBuddy, ICQ, MSN and all other digital services for instant messaging. Even in the most ordinary text messages we used to send when Nokia 3310 was the latest wonder of technology, along with the text, we used the standard :) or :( . In addition to written text, in digital communication it’s simply unthinkable not to expand your message with a visual sign or symbol. Personally, I don’t remember the last time someone wrote me LOL to express they were laughing, but at least once a day someone sends be an Emoji crying from laughter to express the same thing.
They are appealing because they allow us to better express ourselves, and to shorten things. Sometimes we’re in such a hurry that all that is needed to express ourselves are two Emojis, and the other person will perfectly understand what we wanted to say. Although their meaning is mostly universal throughout the world, and, thanks to globalization, everyone can understand them, it is necessary to also understand the social context. For example, sending a peach Emoji often doesn’t represent the fruit, just as the Emoji for eggplant almost never represents the literal meaning, because hardly anyone would correspond precisely about this purple vegetable. Examples like these are proof that we need a broader understanding of Emoji to decipher the message that someone is sending to us using Emojis.
What’s the secret?
In addition to being used on a massive scale, Emojis are simply very entertaining and useful, which is why many brands very quickly integrated them into their communication strategy on social networks. For example, at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, pizza chain Domino’s won a Titanium Grand Prix for their Emoji campaign. The concept is simple, but definitely a precedent: you send a pizza Emoji to Domino’s on Twitter, and they deliver a pizza to your home address – a completely innovative way of ordering that delighted people across the US and the world.
Also, in response to user queries on social networks, you shouldn’t hesitate to use Emojis. They give a more personalized and human approach to communication, and can also expand the meaning of the message. For example, it’s sometimes difficult to read sarcasm on the basis of only written sentences, but Emojis come to the rescue, providing a broader background of the story. The same principle applies when we want to express sadness, happiness, sorrow or any other emotion. Brands that properly use Emojis in digital communication receive a big plus from internet users and, thus, create a positive image about their services and/or products.
For example, recently Samsung’s tweet went viral, even though it (wisely) used only a single Emoji, which made people around the world laugh.
There’s no reason to fear the use of Emojis in communication on social networks. Of course, everything has its time and place, and you also need to know how and what to communicate, who is your audience, and whether a certain Emoji is appropriate. It may seem like a lot of things to consider, but these are all the things you must also take into account in written communication, and Emoji should be seen as its extension. For example, tweets with Emojis on average have 25% higher engagement rates than tweets without them. Apart from Emojis, Facebook also supports stickers and gifs that we can send in messages in order to fully express what we want. Ultimately, there is no better confirmation that once again the saying of those older and wiser than us proved true: a picture really is worth a thousand words, and one Emoji can save you, for example, 140 characters on Twitter. Clever use of Emoji and careful planning for their integration into the digital communication can bring a winning communication strategy on social networks, which will delight your customers.