If a brand doesn’t participate in an emoji-themed hashtag game, what’s the point of being on Twitter?
During the midst of the New York Stock Exchange meltdown, a hashtag took over Twitter called #NewMeaningsForEmojis, where people (and brands) jokingly redefined what the little picture symbols actually meant.
Topsy, a social media analytics firm, measured 3,500 tweets affixed with the hashtag, with seemingly most of them coming from brands. The likely reason being that it’s easy for the social media manager to tweet something witty and non-controversial from their phone without the needs of including elaborate art (see: #LoveWins).
Victoria’s Secret, a clothing company that never misses an opportunity to add an emoji to its tweets, had the most popular tweet with 1,000 favorites.
— Victoria’s Secret (@VictoriasSecret) July 8, 2015
It was all downhill from there. From Charmin to Domino’s, brands tried to relate emoji to their own brand. Let’s take a look:
= Why would you order pizza and not invite me?! #NewMeaningsForEmojis — Domino’s Pizza (@dominos) July 8, 2015
= delivery guy #NewMeaningsForEmojis
— DiGiorno Pizza (@DiGiornoPizza) July 8, 2015
#NewMeaningsForEmojis pic.twitter.com/7PNmAN8Eek
— Nissan (@NissanUSA) July 8, 2015
#NewMeaningsForEmojis — White Castle (@WhiteCastle) July 8, 2015
Burning love for Yankee Candle #NewMeaningsForEmojis
— Yankee Candle Co (@TheYankeeCandle) July 8, 2015
= #emojiscience = @BillNye doing #emojiscience #NewMeaningsForEmojis https://t.co/RuomrpBex4 — General Electric (@generalelectric) July 8, 2015
#NewMeaningsForEmojis Watch me whip whip Now watch me nae nae
— Four Loko (@fourloko) July 8, 2015
= All those feelings you have for Perrier. #NewMeaningsForEmojis
— Perrier (@Perrier) July 8, 2015
= Hangry. #NewMeaningsForEmojis
— FreshDirect (@FreshDirect) July 8, 2015
= How to use #car2go to have an awesome night out on the town. #NewMeaningsForEmojis
— car2go Brooklyn (@car2goBklyn) July 8, 2015
More in Marketing
‘Intentionally being cautious’: Why the ad industry isn’t ready to let AI agents spend ad dollars
For now, LLMs are being used as accelerants, not decision makers. They compress workflows. They do not spend the ad dollars
Walmart says ‘open partnerships’ are central to its AI strategy, while Amazon goes it alone
Walmart and Google have announced a partnership that brings the retailer’s shopping experience inside Google’s AI assistant, Gemini.
The case for and against influencer-led Super Bowl ads
Inside the Super Bowl ad debate: Celebrities offer mass appeal, but creators provide better engagement.