![\"visual-storytelling-headline-design\"](\"https:\/\/leapsparkagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/08\/visual-storytelling-emojis-gifs-memes.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Consumers are constantly encountering millions of
\nvisual messages that consist of emojis, memes and
\nGIFs every day. Visual platforms like Instagram, Tumblr
\nand Snapchat have changed the way the average person
\ncreates and shares content. What started as a simple emoticon
\nin the 90’s that looked something like this – \ud83d\ude00 – has now
\nmorphed into something much more detailed, meaningful
\nand heavily ingrained in consumer’s lives.
\n<\/p>\n
Online users from ages 13 to 60 are utilizing emojis as a
\nshorter way to communicate and get their emotions across.
\nSo why should brands do the same? An August 2015 study
\nfrom trend-forecasting and brand-strategy firm Trendera
\nrevealed that over half of consumers said they wish brands
\nwould treat them like a friend, instead of a consumer. They
\nalso said that a brand’s social media presence influences
\ntheir impression of the brand.
\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
In a world where every character counts, emojis allow us to
\nsay more, with less. Whether you use the occasional smiley
\nface in a message or can fluently speak emoji, there’s an
\nincredible shift happening in the way that we communicate
\nthat’s crucial for brands to pay attention to. The cute smileys
\nand hearts were introduced in 2007, but you wouldn’t know
\nit. It hasn’t been until the past several years that emoji-heavy
\ncommunication has really taken off.
\n<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
92% of the online population use emojis – all of whom
\nbelieve emojis express their feelings more accurately than
\nwords. Emojis are so ingrained in digital and social language,
\nparticularly among young people, that it’s naturally becoming
\nan element of brand’s digital efforts. And as a brand, you
\nshould be dedicated to engaging people by means of which
\nthey prefer to communicate. SO, what’s a brand to do?
\nJump on the emoji bandwagon and ride the wave?
\n<\/p>\n
Not exactly. First, figure out what makes the most sense
\nfor your brand. Then, learn how to utilize emojis to get the
\nmost bang for your buck. Although it may seem pretty simple
\n(start using emojis in all of your communication) it’s not that
\nblack and white. One little misinterpretation of what a symbol
\nmeans and your brand could be dealing with an all-out
\nPR crisis.
\n<\/p>\n
Take a pointer or two from Taco Bell – a brand that has never
\nbeen afraid to push the envelope and adhere to what their
\naudience prefers.
\n<\/p>\n
They saw an opportunity when the taco emoji was released
\nlast year and created an entire campaign around the exciting
\nnews. Part of the campaign was to tweet them two different
\nemojis, and an animated GIF would return translating
\nwhat the two emojis combined meant using the hashtag
\n#TacoEmojiEngine (Don’t worry – We’ll talk about GIFs in
\na minute).
\n<\/p>\n
![\"taco-bell-twitter-image\"](\"https:\/\/leapsparkagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/08\/visual-stoytelling-taco.jpg\")
![\"emoji-text-image\"](\"https:\/\/leapsparkagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/08\/visual-stoytelling-quote.jpg\")
<\/div>\n
Or what about Domino’s? You can literally tweet or text the
\npizza emoji to them and order a pizza! Now, that’s cool.
\n<\/p>\n
![\"dominos-twitter-image\"](\"https:\/\/leapsparkagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/08\/visual-stoytelling-dominos.jpg\")
![\"engaging-emojis-image\"](\"https:\/\/leapsparkagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/08\/visual-stoytelling-successful-emojis.jpg\")
<\/div>\n
Memes are those hilarious images you see splattered all
\nover social media. Grumpy Cat is a classic, and so are all of
\nthe Ecards you see with hilarious, inappropriate messages.
\n<\/p>\n
The majority of memes are meant to be funny or sarcastic,
\nbut because they grab our attention, brands can benefit
\nfrom them if executed in a smart or clever way. According to
\nTrendera, “brands that participate in using GIFs, memes, etc.
\nmake US teens and adults more interested in a brand.”
\n<\/p>\n
Coming off of a wildly successful marketing campaign for
\na beer brand, “the most interesting man in the world” was
\nimmediately turned into thousands of different memes.
\nThe benefit for Dos Equis? Every time a new meme is created,
\nit creates brand recognition for them. The beer is generally
\nalways in the memes and the man himself is the pure
\nessence of the brand.
\n<\/p>\n
![\"memes-image\"](\"https:\/\/leapsparkagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/08\/visual-stoytelling-memes.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
GEICO is another good example of this. When they released
\ntheir hump day campaign, memes immediately started circulating
\nthe Internet. Now, every Wednesday, most people will
\nbe talking about hump day and saying “guess what day it is”.
\nDon’t worry, you can also celebrate emoji style with
\n<\/p>\n
![\"memes-image-2\"](\"https:\/\/leapsparkagency.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/08\/visual-stoytelling-humpday.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
The key to an effective meme is finding the right image to
\nuse. It can be a picture you take or a spin on a popular meme
\nfrom the Internet. Don’t worry, most popular images that are
\nall over the internet are not copy written, so once you add
\nyour own text and watermark, it makes it your own to use.
\n<\/p>\n
Think about your goals and the feeling you want your audience
\nto have when they associate the meme with your
\ncompany, and have some fun!
\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Not new to the scene, GIFs are almost 30 years old and have
\ncome a long way. Over the past 10 years or so, millennials
\nhave really grabbed hold of GIFs and more often than not,
\nuse them to express themselves with very little text content.
\nGIFs are quick, one-liner responses to all kinds of web
\nconversations. There are even GIF keyboards like the emoji
\nkeyboard that can be installed on a smartphone.
\n<\/p>\n
As marketers look for new ways to stand out in the ever-
\nchanging digital landscape, GIFs are becoming the go-to
\ntactic for brands seeking higher engagement. GIFs, which
\nloop endlessly, let brands tell a story to their consumers
\nsimilar to emojis and memes. When creating an animated
\nGIF, it’s not as simple as throwing a 15-second spot up or
\neven quickly editing a video. Where the GIF is going on social
\nmedia also matters and will affect the content you’re developing.
\nThe GIF is a more advanced form of visual communication
\nthat allows an every day user to form a deeper connection
\nwith a brand.
\n<\/p>\n
Domino’s created this fun GIF to hypnotize their pizza-loving
\naudience and they definitely liked it!
\n<\/p>\n
\nYou’re getting hunnngrryyy, verrrry hungrrryyy. #GIFParty<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/5AvafXad9a<\/a><\/p>\n