How the Branded Hashtag Emoji Is Taking Over Twitter

What started off as a "hashflag" for World Cup fans has become a key marketing strategy for brands such as Coca-Cola, Dove, Star Wars, Toyota and Starbucks.

The hottest marketing technique on Twitter isn’t a viral cat video or a funny tweet from a celebrity endorser.

It’s something found on pretty much any mobile keyboard: an emoji.

Brands, in an effort to relate to their younger and more mobile-savvy consumers, have been increasingly using emojis in tweets. This gave Twitter an idea: the branded hashtag emoji. For select hashtags, an emoji will automatically appear when tweeted.

What started off as a “hashflag” for World Cup fans has become a key marketing strategy for brands such as Coca-Cola, Dove, Star Wars, Toyota and Starbucks.

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