Advertisers on Twitter can now target ads based on the emoji you use. Welcome to life on the internet in 2016.
It makes sense though. Brands can already target you based on keywords, but emoji are particularly powerful because they are a concise way of expressing your mood – especially when you’re limited to 140 characters on Twitter.
For example, if you use the Taco emoji, Twitter might surmise that you like and/or want a tacos. If you use a particular flag a lot, brands might be able to better guess your nationality or sports leanings.
It can also help ads be targeted based on whether you’re happy or sad; perhaps you’ll be more likely to buy an item if you’re in a good mood.
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In any case, Twitter says over 110 billion emoji have been tweeted since 2014, so there’s a ton of material for brands to work if. The feature is rolling out to advertisers globally today.
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