Should brands be using emojis in 2024?
In 2024, should brands use emojis? And who makes the rules? Senior writer Ben Ashley and Josie Pereira, writer at brand character studio XXVI, part of branding agency, Principals, answers those very questions.
Design juggernaut Canva just launched a whimsical new brand system, complete with a bespoke new set of emojis designed to add fun and meaning to their customer interactions.
It’s a genius move that lets users adopt emojis for their design work without stepping on any copyright landmines. For those top-end-of-town brands looking to connect with a younger audience, this has re-opened a now decade-long conversation.
In 2024, should brands use emojis? And who makes the rules?
It’s hard to imagine communicating online without emojis. Terrifyingly, the world’s now full of people who have never experienced the internet without them. But they’ve pretty much always been there. 4,000-ish years ago, the Egyptians were writing everything from medical reports to poetry using emojis. I’ve used them, you’ve used them, your mum’s used them (though maybe in her own special way 💃🤣🤣🎉😹 xx).
The question is, for these big brands, is leveraging emojis real ‘fellow kids’ energy 🧢? Or, are there real, powerful connections to be made by communicating on a customer’s level?
Well, here’s what we found.
Emojis are it 😎
Adobe recently did a study in the States and found that 73% of those surveyed thought adding emojis to your messages makes you cooler, friendlier, and funnier. 68% said using emojis at work even positively impacted likeability. Who knew little yellow faces could be so significant in building relationships? (That was rhetorical, Minions fans.)
Go deeper, and you’ll find that 71% of users agreed that inclusive emojis could bring cultural and societal issues to life, while 75% believed they can help raise diversity awareness.
So, for the brands that do it right, emojis are an opportunity to communicate more meaningfully. To be more distinctive, in touch and relatable. Sound familiar? It should, as it’s exactly what brand voice aims to achieve. And emojis can be a seamless extension of it.
Zoomers play by their own rules
It makes sense that brands are scrambling to pretend to know what cheugy means and connect with Gen Z, since they make up over 20% of the internet. That said, cramming a message full of emojis like scattering birdseed on your lawn to attract the youth is misguided at best, cringey at worst. Cheugy, even.
In the same way Dadaism emerged from the trauma of WW1, after living through multiple natural disasters, a global financial crisis and a teeny little pandemic, Gen Z likes it weird. So yes, they use emojis, but in their own way. Not too many. And not just for the sake of it. They’re aware, ironic and deeply unserious. With a penchant for the offbeat, like whatever nightmare fuel this is: 👁️👄👁️
It means that brands that want to talk to Zoomers need to dig deeper than the most obvious, literal choice for whatever the message is.
Getting it right
Of course, there are consequences for missing the mark. It can position your brand as tone-deaf, out of touch, or, in this wild McDonald’s example, more than a little creepy.
A recent PR study found that 41% of people think using an unprofessional or insensitive emoji on social media can do lasting damage to a brand’s reputation. It’s a high-risk game, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to be fun, and all you really need are a few simple guardrails.
For a start, less is more. It’s a bit of extra spice that, ideally, enhances your message. But stuffing emojis everywhere they fit is not only distracting, it’s disingenuous. Keep it to a handful, and they’ll make more of an impact.
Add value. A literal depiction of the copy next to it doesn’t add anything to your message. Worse, it feels like one of those Family Guy skits where the punchline keeps smacking you in the face. All it takes is a little outside-the-box thinking – and you’ve got a near-infinite number of emoji combinations to play with 🧠 🚀
Finally, be switched on. A staple for dads the world over, the once-positive ‘👍’ is now passive-aggressive, and in the Middle East it’s the equivalent of flipping someone off. In China, ‘😇’ represents straight-up death. Surely ‘👌’ is OK, you ask, almost pleadingly. Nope. Obscene in Brazil and co-opted by white supremacists. Cool. Getting cancelled isn’t great for business, so it pays to quickly check what emojis mean to different cultures.
Should you use emojis or not?
In the online world where attention spans are short and competition is steep, using emojis the right way can give your brand an online superpower. Maybe even make your customers proud 🥲 Remember, it’s not about forcing trends but connecting with your audience in a way that feels genuine and engaging.
So lean in, have fun, get a little silly, and try not to offend anyone. And Gen Z will respond.
After all, why not? Emojis aren’t going anywhere. Just ask Canva.
Ben Ashley is a senior writer and Josie Pereira is a writer at brand character studio XXVI, part of branding agency, Principals.
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