Consumer perceptions on emojis: A research analysis on the impact of emojis on gen-z in social media marketing & brand image

This master’s thesis studies the modern phenomenon of emoji marketing, and more specifically how the use of emojis affects the social media performance of companies inside generation z, the largest generation of users inside social media platforms. Emoji marketing is a relatively new concept, that is still yet to be studied to its full potential. The author of thesis felt there was a need to study emojis as a phenomenon, seek out information from their history and investigate how important part emojis are in modern day marketing communications. The author utilized semi-structured research interviews and thematic analysis as the data analysis method to collect and analyse data for the thesis. The data and the results of the study indicate, that emojis play a major role on the way generation z perceives social media marketing. Two main themes, the way generation perceive the characteristics and usages of emojis, and the effects of exposure to emojis were found. The study identifies a total of 11 sub-themes, divided on to 5 different parent themes. The study supports some previous studies made from the topic, by suggesting that by utilizing emojis companies can gain a competitive advantage in the digital marketing environment. These benefits include increased engagement, relatability, and a more positive perception of brand image. The study also indicates that the use of emojis hold some risks in them as consumers see the unfitting use of emojis as more harmful than the positive effects of successful emoji usage. The study indicates that the use of emojis should be planned in a way so that they match the rest of the brand communication efforts of a company to gain maximum benefits from emoji marketing. As a theoretical concept, the concept of emoji marketing is relatively new. This study was successful in filling a gap of understanding in the perceptions of generation z to emojis in the marketing efforts made by companies. The study contributes to marketing theory by highlighting the importance and effects emojis play in the modern world of digital marketing.