Today we celebrate the holiday of the smiley face, without which it is hard to imagine conducting conversations online. We have fallen in love with emoji, the language of internet communication based on various types of graphics.
Emoticons have been recognized as the fastest-growing language in the world today. They are a sign of our times and accompany us not only in conversations held on Facebook, but are also entering other areas, such as marketing communication. The "2016 Emoji Report" study conducted by the Emogi Research Team says that last year, in mobile messages alone, emoticons were used as many as 2.3 trillion times!
A Tumultuous History
An emoticon is a mood expression composed of text characters, most often representing a symbolic human facial expression. The symbol : - ) was used for the first time on September 19, 1982, by Professor Scott Fahlman of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. We use them very eagerly in posts and comments, and in conversations with friends. They express more than the written word, so virtual smileys have become not only decorations for posts, but often direct replacements for certain content.
The global popularity of emoticons used in text messages is evidenced by the fact that in 2011 they formally entered one of the most important English-language dictionaries in the world, the Oxford English Dictionary. The symbol "<3" was included in the OED. It is a notation meaning heart. Greame Diamond, editor-in-chief of the New Oxford Dictionary, explained that due to the frequency of use, these terms can be considered official words and used both in speech and in print.
It might seem that the presence of the above-mentioned abbreviations in a prestigious dictionary is already an abuse. People who do not accept this form of communication may feel even more disappointed, because the practice of using abbreviations and emoticons is already used in literature, including works considered masterpieces. In February 2013, an unusual translation of Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" was added to the collections of the Library of Congress of the United States. The book is titled "Emoji Dick" and is the first-ever translation of a work of fine literature into the language of emoticons. The originator of the project is Fred Benenson, who invited 83 people fluent in using this form of language to translate it.
The popularity of emoji in everyday life is successfully used, for example, by marketers, who use the icons both in posts published on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat, and in individual communication conducted through these channels, as well as in all graphics, notifications, and mailings intended to encourage the user to interact.
Emoji in Marketing
"Currently, marketers are increasingly using emoji in their campaigns, treating the icons as one of the ways to draw attention, especially of the younger generation, for whom it is a natural way of communication. Emoji is also a language that can help a brand build the image of a friendly brand that follows trends and bases its communication on an accessible form. Emoticons can influence the recognition of our company and evoke associations with it. They also affect interest in messages – those containing emoji are more engaging. We have already had examples of emoticons that contained the logo of a specific brand, such as Pepsi or Starbucks. According to the '2016 Emoji Report,' Facebook and Messenger users reached for them more willingly than for standard emoji. Why? Because it is an easy way for consumers to show that they identify with a given brand. I think it is worth trying to introduce emoji into every company's communication strategy, because the rapid development of the language can be linked to the development of the possibilities for its use." - says Kamila Górna, Business Development Manager at Infobip.
There is also a Polish accent in the history of emoticons. Already at the end of the 19th century, the outstanding poet and essayist Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński expressed in his feuilletons the need to enrich Polish spelling with a sign that would express an emotional state more concisely than a word. He himself proposed such a sign, calling it a "Persian eye" and placing it at the end of the first and last stanzas of the poem "Piosenka wzruszająca" (A Touching Song).
***
About Infobip
Infobip is a global provider of mobile communication services and tools enabling mobile payments. The company serves over 200,000 business clients through a network of 50 branches located on 6 continents. All Infobip solutions addressed to mobile operators and enterprises are developed entirely in-house. Thanks to this, Infobip has a complete portfolio of solutions needed to create a fully functional, efficient mobile communication system. The company's mission and philosophy of operation are built around strategic partnerships with mobile operators, to whom it provides complete solutions – products, expertise, and comprehensive support.
