Emojis in marketing: 5 reasons to use them (and 5 to avoid them)
We use them to wink, to reinforce a message, to make ourselves understood “without explaining too much.” But are emojis really that universal? Spoiler alert: no. And using them in marketing requires much more awareness than it seems. To celebrate World Emoji Day today, July 17, it’s worth taking a look at emojis for what they have become: powerful but ambiguous communication tools, capable of increasing engagement or destroying a brand’s tone of voice in three clicks.
In this article, we guide you through data, neuroscience, generations, and real-life examples. We also give you five good reasons to use them and five to avoid them in your strategy.
Spoiler alert: it doesn’t all end with a smiley face.
Emojis and strategy: what they really do (when they work)
An emoji can carry the tone of an entire sentence: it can lighten it, emphasize it, soften it, make it clearer or more ambiguous. In digital contexts, where the margin for interpretation is increasingly narrow, it acts as a marker: it captures attention, guides reading, and helps position the message in a specific emotional space.
This is especially true when the text is fragmented, concise, or loaded with implications: in the digital realm, in headlines, captions, email subjects, notifications, and short copy, where there is no room to explain everything and a system of quick cues is needed. And emojis, when chosen well, become just that: a way to add tone, direction, or distance; or to get it all wrong with a visual joke that is out of place. But the effect is produced nonetheless. Because even in the typographical silence of a dry sentence, emojis guide the reader before the text even arrives, and they speak. And what they say matters.
It’s not just about adding color or informality, but about using a sign that accompanies the content and expands its meaning. Emojis work best when they behave like signs—not decorations, shortcuts, or fillers—and have a logic behind them. They are elements that bring meaning, activate reading, and influence perception.
However, inserting an emoji into digital content is never a neutral gesture. Even the simplest symbol has a specific weight in determining the tone, rhythm, and interpretation of a message. When it is consistent with the context, the audience, and the communicative intention, it can support the message, improve readability, and accentuate an emotional nuance. If, on the other hand, it is inserted mechanically, generically, or out of context, it risks doing the opposite: breaking the coherence of the text, confusing the tone, and lowering credibility. Understanding when and why it works means considering it as an integral part of language and not a graphic license.
The effect on content: how rhythm, look, and style change
The primary function of emojis in a content strategy is to guide interpretation and change the way people read text.
Cognitive neuroscience and neuromarketing studies show that emojis function as metacommunicative signals: they guide the interpretation of the message, make its intention explicit, and reduce ambiguity in the absence of tone of voice and nonverbal language.
They can break up visual monotony, introduce acceleration or a pause, and guide the eye to a keyword. They are a rhythmic signal, even before they are semantic: they work like bold text, a line break, or a change in format, but they do so with an implicit emotional component.
This is particularly evident in digital microcopy—captions, carousels, notifications—where everything happens in a matter of seconds, because here emojis become a structural device: they help organize, emphasize, lighten, and give breathing space to the text. But it is not enough for them to be “visible”: if they are not aligned with the message, they become an interference, and in this case they disrupt rather than construct.
In some cases, emojis become an integral part of a brand’s “voice.” Not because they are a logo, but because they act as a visual and semantic recurrence that reinforces stylistic consistency. When used consistently, the same symbol can build an automatic association with a certain tone: ironic, welcoming, professional. Brands such as Sephora and Taco Bell have even created custom emoji sets to reinforce visual recognition in digital content. Without going that far, even the simple strategic repetition of emojis related to your positioning can become a distinctive, recognizable, and consistent feature.
5 reasons to use emojis in your marketing strategy
Beyond personal taste, the inclusion of emojis in content has a measurable impact: it influences readability, changes perception, makes messages more accessible, and can even improve performance. They work on social media because they are native to that language, but they also have a place in emails, ads, landing pages, and even professional contexts, if calibrated in the right way. Some studies report an increase in email open rates of up to 56% when the subject line includes an emoji. Others show an increase in engagement, positive responses, and content recognition. This is not because people “like” the symbol, but because it triggers a different way of reading: faster, clearer, more direct. In a marketing strategy, all of this can become a real advantage. But it only makes sense if the emoji is used wisely. And to decide when to do so, it’s worth looking first at why to do it.
- They can increase email open rates
In the subject line of a promotional email, an emoji can be a decisive factor. Even just one, if consistent with the content, helps the message stand out in the inbox and suggests the tone of the content. There are no striking percentages, but according to some studies, emails with emojis in the subject line achieve an average increase of between 3% and 4% in open rates. A modest but consistent result, achieved with minimal effort. The real value lies in the testing potential: changing a single emoji during A/B testing can provide quick insights into how your audience interprets and filters a message.
- They improve the emotional perception of the message
According to a study published in the journal PLOS One in 2025, including emojis in a text message increases the perception of availability, empathy, and responsiveness on the part of the sender. The effect was observed in every condition tested, even when the content remained unchanged. This shows that the simple act of adding an emoji can affect how the communicative intent is perceived. This is an important advantage in contexts where tone cannot be explained in words but must be understood in a matter of seconds.
For example, “we’ll take care of it” accompanied by a 🙋♀️ is very different from a simple “we’ll take care of it.” Written text is inherently ambiguous, and a sentence can sound blunt, ironic, or kind depending on who reads it. Humanizing communication with this small touch makes a big difference in the perception of customer service.
- They make content more readable and segmented
An emoji also has a visual function. Inserted between lines of text, it can segment content, create a pause, and facilitate quick scanning. This is especially true in short or vertical formats, such as captions, carousels, or notifications, where space is limited and each element has a direct impact on the reading rhythm. And it’s not just the reader who interprets that signal.
Used intelligently, they become visual anchors that break up walls of text and guide the reader. Think about how arrows (➡️, ⬇️), check marks (✅), or simple colored dots (🔴) can transform a heavy list into a clear, scannable sequence, guiding the user’s eye straight to your call to action. It’s a small but powerful user experience intervention.
Even Google, according to Search Engine Roundtable, has started testing direct responses with emojis in SERPs for certain specific queries, demonstrating that these symbols are now treated as elements with their own meaning even in the context of search.
- They contribute to brand style consistency
Some brands choose to use recurring emojis in their content to reinforce their communication style. This is not about inventing a cryptic language, but about inserting symbols that are consistent with the overall tone and recurring themes. An emoji can become part of a brand’s visual code when used consistently: it is a small sign that helps build familiarity, especially in repetitive formats or contexts where style matters more than content itself.
The most skilled brands use specific emojis to build a recognizable identity and a shared code with their community. The beauty brand Glossier is associated with the girl with the towel 🧖♀️, creating an almost exclusive bond. Using an emoji consistently and continuously can turn it into a symbol of your brand, strengthening your niche’s sense of belonging. The question is: which emoji represents your brand?
- They are also accepted in professional contexts
The idea that emojis are only for informal settings is now outdated. An Atlassian–YouGov survey of over 10,000 workers shows that 65% also use emojis in professional communications. The percentage rises to 88% among Gen Z, while it stops at 49% among boomers, but the trend is clear: visual symbols are no longer perceived as an invasion of the workplace. In many cases, they are a tool that simplifies, reduces the possibility of misunderstandings, and helps set the tone in hybrid and asynchronous work environments.
Our brains process images about 60,000 times faster than text. An emoji, as an image, makes your message more “sticky.” In an endless and hyper-competitive feed, the association between your message and a visual symbol can mean the difference between being forgotten after two seconds or remaining etched in the user’s memory.
5 reasons not to use emojis in digital marketing
Is everything perfect? Of course not! The use of emojis has become so commonplace that it always seems like a good idea, but in digital marketing, habit is a bad advisor. For every context in which an emoji can improve the performance of content, there is at least one other in which it risks reducing its clarity, effectiveness, or consistency.
The limitations are not only about form, but also about meaning: ambiguous interpretations, cultural differences, technical issues, or distortions of tone can turn a symbol into an obstacle. And the more complex the audience, channel, or message, the greater the risk that that symbol will become a distortion.
In short, using emojis strategically does not mean using them all the time: the problem is not the emoji itself, but its semantic instability—the same sign can mean different things to different people in different contexts. That’s why it’s also important to know when to avoid using them. The next five points show just that—namely, don’t flood your channels with smileys without any criteria!
- Not everyone interprets them the same way
Emojis do not have a universal meaning. Depending on the cultural context, generation, or channel used, the same symbol can be perceived in radically different ways. According to an article published in Forbes and based on research by Diane Hamilton, many misunderstandings arise precisely from this ambiguity. A simple 👍 (thumbs up) can be understood as approval in a business context, but comes across as passive-aggressive to Gen Z. The meaning is not linked to the sign itself, but to the relationship between the writer and the reader.
Other examples? Hands clasped together 🙏 means “thank you” in the West, but not in the Arab world. The OK sign 👌 is an insult in Brazil. And let’s not forget “rendering”: the emoji you see on an iPhone is different from the one on Android, and sometimes this difference alters its expression and meaning. A global campaign based on an unanalyzed emoji can become a disaster.
- They can compromise credibility in certain sectors
The casual use of emojis risks undermining the perception of seriousness in professional or formal contexts. Despite their growing adoption, not all brands can afford an informal communication style, especially in regulated or highly sensitive sectors (such as finance, medicine, and public administration). A study reported by The Conversation found that some emojis, such as the light “smile” 😊, are often associated with fake or sarcastic emotions and can cause discomfort if misused.
In industries such as legal, financial, medical, or very formal B2B communications, overuse of emojis can make a brand appear unprofessional, undermining trust and credibility. Imagine a bank communicating a security issue with a 😥. It just doesn’t work.
- They increase the risk of cross-generational misunderstandings
Expectations about the meaning of emojis vary greatly between age groups. The aforementioned Atlassian-YouGov survey highlights that while 88% of Gen Zers use emojis in the workplace, only 49% of boomers consider them appropriate in those contexts. This gap paves the way for potential misunderstandings within company teams and with more mature audiences. When the same message is read by multiple generations, the effect can change dramatically.
In short: emojis have a life cycle, and some age badly. The most striking example is the laughing-until-tears face (😂), now considered “boomer” by Gen Z, who use the skull (💀) to express the same concept. Using the wrong emoji makes you look immediately clumsy, out of touch, and desperately seeking a youth that is no longer yours.
- They don’t always integrate well with SEO or accessibility
From a technical standpoint, emojis are not always handled correctly by search engines or screen readers. When included in title tags or meta descriptions, they can be ignored by Google, considered spam, or cause display issues. Furthermore, in texts read by accessibility software, each emoji is interpreted as a text description (“face with tears of joy”), slowing down and complicating the reading experience. Overuse, in these cases, can damage the user experience.
For example, a string of “🔥🔥🔥” is read as “fire, fire, fire,” making the message unreadable and annoying.
- They can be perceived as forced or artificial
An emoji used out of context conveys the idea of a brand that is trying too hard to appear “young” or “fun.” The effect is often the opposite. As reported by The Conversation, the unconscious use of emojis can be read as a form of social performativity: an attempt to communicate “according to the code” without really understanding it. In an age where authenticity and transparency are core values, any superfluous symbol risks becoming noise—not to mention respect for brand archetypes, which allow for few exceptions!
Overuse also creates the effect known as “banner blindness” (applied to emojis): when everyone uses them, and when you yourself overuse them, their power to capture attention is nullified. They become background noise. In 2025, the real skill will not lie in using emojis, but in using them sparingly and strategically, making them really count when they are needed.
The science of emojis: what studies, neuroscience, and psychology tell us
Everything we have written is not based solely on “intuition”: there are cognitive, visual, and emotional processes that are activated every time we encounter emojis in a text, and the latest scientific research shows that their influence on communication is much more structured.
Some studies show that the brain recognizes them more quickly than a word, links them to a facial expression, and immediately integrates them into the reading of the message. Others analyze what changes in the relationship between the writer and the reader: a simple smiley face can make the tone seem more helpful, friendly, or attentive, even when the content remains the same. Then there is the issue of generational and cultural differences, which influence the meaning we attribute to each symbol. All of this is now being studied by linguists, psychologists, and neuroscientists to understand how emojis really influence communication at every level. Beyond the differences, it appears that the effect of emojis is not a subjective impression, but a measurable neuro-cognitive response.
Visual perception and cognitive speed
Our brain is programmed to recognize faces in a fraction of a second. And when it encounters an emoji, it activates the same neural circuits as face-to-face communication. According to a study reported by San.com, it takes just 13 milliseconds to decode a visual image such as an emoji, and recognition is faster than text
This makes emojis particularly effective in compressed contexts — notifications, previews, headlines — where attention is short and fragmented. At the neural level, they are not read as decorative elements, but as full semiotic signals: they activate the limbic system, speed up comprehension, and help set the tone immediately. This is another reason why, in a fraction of a second, an emoji can increase the likelihood that a message will be read in its entirety.
Emotions, relationships, and “perceived responsiveness”
The relational effect of emojis has been confirmed by several recent studies. One in particular—conducted on 260 adults and cited in El País—shows that messages enriched with emojis are perceived as more engaging, empathetic, and “attentive.”
It is the feeling of perceived responsiveness, which translates into greater satisfaction for the recipient, even when the content of the text is identical. The type of emoji (face or object) matters less than you might think: what counts is the final effect on the quality of the interaction. Adding an emoji — according to researcher Huh — functions as a social gesture: it suggests intention, participation, openness. In customer care, social interaction, or email marketing contexts, this lever can improve the tone of the conversation and stimulate deeper engagement.
Generational, cultural, and semiotic diversity
Emojis do not always speak the same language. Studies and ethnographic articles have highlighted strong interpretative variations related to age, cultural context, and the platform used. The emoji 😂 — for years the most widely used — is now perceived by many Gen Zers as outdated or even passive-aggressive
The same symbol can communicate enthusiasm, sarcasm, or embarrassment depending on the generation, platform code (Instagram, Slack, TikTok), and social dynamics.
Emojis therefore function as “layered” signs: they require shared knowledge to be decoded correctly. In some cases, they become true markers of social identity — as trends on TikTok show — and stepping out of line can mean losing credibility within the reference group. This makes the professional use of emojis particularly delicate: those who communicate to a diverse audience must know the “local language” and avoid misinterpretations.
And don’t forget another element, linked to identity badges and subcultures: emojis not only express emotions, but also signal membership of a group. Think of the famous #emojicombo on TikTok, where sequences such as 🕯️📜🖋️ define the “dark academia” aesthetic. Understanding these codes means being able to communicate authentically with specific niches.
Brand guidelines, internal policies, and tools for the conscious use of emojis
More and more companies have begun to formalize the use of emojis in communication manuals and design systems. Tools such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, and other internal messaging tools have made them an integral part of everyday conversations, but their adoption requires clear guidelines: some emojis can be ambiguous, out of tone, or even risky from a compliance perspective.
Recent reports suggest that it is more effective to teach people how to use them properly rather than banning them: training on context, intent, and interpretation is now considered best practice in most structured companies.
Some platforms suggest integrating emoji policies directly into team onboarding, while semantic monitoring solutions are increasingly being adopted to support supervision—especially in regulated industries. On the external communication front, several brands (including Sephora and Taco Bell) have developed custom emojis to strengthen recognition and create proprietary experiences: a sign that emojis, when used judiciously, can also become strategic branding assets.
Real-life examples: when an emoji changes the message (for better or worse)
The effect of an emoji can also be measured outside the lab. In some cases, a well-placed symbol is enough to prompt people to leave a review. In others, a misunderstood icon can be enough to cause a communication error in a critical context. Some brands have used emojis to strengthen their identity; others have banned them from official documents after an internal crisis. It is not the use itself that makes the difference, but the impact it has—on the audience, on the tone, on the result. And that is where the value (or risk) of each choice lies.
- Domino’s Pizza
Brilliant and simple. They allowed customers to order a pizza simply by tweeting the emoji 🍕 to their account. They turned the emoji into a functional call to action.
- Deadpool
The film’s marketing campaign used a billboard with the words “💀💩L.” Irreverent, bold, and perfectly in line with the character’s tone. They spoke the same language as their audience.
- Coca-Cola
With the #ShareaCoke campaign, it created a branded emoji that automatically appeared with the hashtag, generating a wave of shares and strengthening the global community around a symbol.
- Airbnb: more reviews with targeted emojis
A study of over 29,000 Airbnb listings in four US cities revealed that posts that accompany a keyword with an emoji (without replacing it) generate on average 24% more reviews than others. The reason? Emojis, when used sparingly and appropriately, improve the “processing fluency” of the message, i.e., the ease with which the brain processes and interprets the text. In other words, content that is easier to read and quicker to decode stimulates a faster response. But there is a caveat: the effect is negated (or reversed) if too many emojis are used, as they become cognitive obstacles rather than facilitators.
- The US, national security, and the communication incident on Signal
During an investigation by the National Security Agency (NSA), an interpretation problem arose related to the use of emojis in the Signal app. The issue concerned the understanding of certain “reactions” sent with emojis by a suspected informant: for some investigators, the red heart was a sign of agreement, for others an ironic response or an internal code. The result? Operational confusion, discussions between teams, and the risk of misunderstandings in a highly sensitive context.
This episode prompted some federal agencies to draw up stricter guidelines on the use of emojis in official communication channels.
- Chevrolet
A press release written entirely in emojis. The result? No one understood it. It went down in history as a forced attempt to appear “cool,” failing to achieve the primary goal of communication: clarity.
- Goldman Sachs
The investment bank tried to “connect” with Millennials via a tweet full of emojis about student loans. It was perceived as a fake and patronizing attempt, damaging the credibility of a brand that thrives on seriousness.
- Workplace: the interpretative gap between Gen Z and boomers
An internal study conducted on Slack and Teams highlighted a clear generational gap in the interpretation of emojis used at work. The most striking example? The thumbs up: for boomers, it is a neutral or positive sign; for many members of Gen Z, however, it communicates annoyance, sarcasm, or disinterest. This difference in meaning has led to concrete episodes of misunderstanding between managers and employees, with effects on the quality of internal interactions. Some tech companies have responded with onboarding courses dedicated to “emoji etiquette,” while others have simply reduced the use of emojis in official channels.
