Emojis become keywords: Twitter to let brands target ads by user's emojis

The ‘winky face’ is set to become the new keyword, as Twitter starts letting brands target ads based on the emojis people use.

Under the new scheme, brands can push ads to people based on their use of sentiment, food, and passion emojis.

The social media company has enlisted the help of AdParlor, Amobee, HYFN, Perion, SocialCode, and 4C to facilitate this capability.

The company claims that more than 110 billion emojis have been tweeted since 2014, so there’s plenty of opportunity for advertisers to tap into sentiment here.

Now, brands can:

Connect with people based on their expressed sentiment

Target people who Tweet food emojis

Reach people based on their interests

“According to the Oxford Dictionary, the 2015 word of the year was none other than … an emoji,” Twitter Ads API Product Manager Neil Shah wrote in a blog post. “Emojis have become a ubiquitous way for people, publishers and brands to express their feelings. And, over 110 billion emojis have been Tweeted since 2014.”