The Best Canadian Emojis For Your Next Marketing Campaign

The Origin of Emojis

Emojis originated from Japan. The “e” means picture and “moji” means character. Emoji simply means picture character. The first mobile phone to include a set of emoji was the J-Phone, a Japanese mobile phone launched on November 1, 1997. The phone had a set of 90 emoji which was eventually added to the Unicode Standard. But the J-Phone was not widely used because of its high cost.

With Japanese mobile-phone companies coming under pressure to support their customer’s obsession with images, the focus shifted from making expensive mobile devices to creating picture messages. In 1999, Shigetaka Kurita designed the first widely used set of emoji which had about 180 characters and the inspiration for the emojis were said to have come from kanji characters and symbols used in weather forecasts.

Emoji as a Global Language

The increased use of emojis by mobile developers like Apple and Android has made these characters part of our everyday communication. With the advent of smartphones, communication is relying more and more on texting and social media.

Over 90% of social networking users according to statistics communicate through emojis. These picture characters allow mobile users to interact with both people who speak the language they understand and those who do not. Most Emojis have the same meaning everywhere and that is why it is seen as a global language. You can use them to express your thoughts and describe many different actions to people of different languages. For example, a smiley face in China means the same thing in Spain, Germany, the U.K, and the U.S.

Cultural Relevance of Emojis

Are pictures really useful in communication? Yes, they are.

Pictures exercise great power over the human mind. People are largely responsive to visual cues. Pictures have the ability to make a person feel happy, sad, curious, disgusted, surprised and motivated among other things. You can remember a particular event or person just by looking at a picture. This is why pictures are a useful tool for brands that are looking to gain recognition.

A powerful image allows people to recognize your brand anytime and anywhere they come across the image. The use of pictures in your content gives additional depth to the message. Pictures when used properly have a way of making your site look professional and drawing people to it. There’s a good chance your visitors will return once they can relate to the images on your sites.

Advertising to Gen Z and Millennials

Before 2015, many brands had their eyes on the millennial market. Their growing size, income, influence and the insatiable desire for digital media made them the perfect target audience for many businesses. However, things are taking a new turn as many brands are shifting their focus to Generation Z.

Gen Z’s grew up in the digitally-connected world where technology allowed for easy and quick communication through text messages and increasingly with picture characters. The need to speak the language that Gen Z understands and uses daily on their mobile devices has made emoji a useful tool in advertising.

Gen Z’s widespread use of emoticons and emojis gives proof of a cultural shift in conversational language. Brands that flow with the latest communication trend are more likely to make an impact in the minds of their audience.

A recent study also reveals that the attention span of people have become shorter than what it was a decade ago. This being the case, emojis give your brand an opportunity to deliver your message quickly, creatively and effectively to Gen Z and millennials that prioritize quick communication.

In your next marketing campaign, you should use emojis especially if your target audiences are the Gen Z and millennials. To know which Canadian emojis to use, think about your brand and the message you want to convey. There is a wide variety of emojis to choose from. Ensure that you use one that correctly conveys your brand message.

Our Favourite Canadian Emojis

- This one is pretty self-explanatory! Show me a Canadian that doesn’t love the flag.
- The maple leaf is known to represent Canadians worldwide, therefore it makes our list of the most Canadian emojis.
/- We can’t forget Canada’s favourite pastime, hockey!
- Canada finds itself snow covered for a good majority of the year, making this emoji a staple for Canadian companies.
/- Skiing and snowboarding is a must in our chilly climate.
- As the home of the beloved Calgary Flames, Calgarians resonate with the flame emoji.
- Yee-haw! This yellow smiley wearing a cowboy hat screams Calgary. It exudes confidence, fun and whimsy.
- Giddy up. You can’t round up Stampede friendly emojis without including the galloping horse.
- Cheers! We all know Canadians love their beer.
/- It’s not the Calgary Stampede without a little entertainment.
- The Stampede is the greatest outdoor show on earth, therefore we had to throw in a circus tent emoji.
- In addition to the rodeo and entertainment, Stampede is known for its massive pancake breakfasts.
- Each day of the Stampede concludes with spectacular fireworks, and that’s where we’ll end our list!

Final Thoughts

The future of the emoji is uncertain. But for now, they are relevant for communication on social media. Brands can take advantage of this trend to reach young people with their message.
Don’t forget, what works for your competitor may not work for you. Choose an emoji that is right for your brand, so that your audience will easily grasp your message.