Pepsi join on the emoji bandwagon

Ever since the Oxford English Dictionary announced that its Word of the Year is a pictograph: 😂 - officially called the ‘Face with Tears of Joy’ emoji - brands have being going emoji mad! 

Adidas, House of Fraser and most famously Mentos with their ementicons, have all seen some success with the incorporation of emojis in their marcoms.  And now Pepsi want to get in on the act.

Recently a Pepsi representative confirmed the "Say It with Pepsi" will be featured on packaging across the brand's portfolio of drink - regular, MAX and diet/light.

The PepsiCo Design & Innovation Centre created hundreds of PepsiMoji designs, to be used both globally and tailored for local markets. The PepsiMojis first appeared last summer in Canada, and since then they have been rolled out to other markets including Russia, Thailand and Pakistan, with more to come soon.

Indeed, 2015 saw their use, and use of the word emoji, increase hugely. But I feel that their over usage could make them seem a bit gimmicky. 

Emojis are cool and fashionable. And like with any fashion they can go out of fashion. With clothing, this happens when everyone starts wearing them or with the whole beard thing, when everyone man starts to grow a beard. 

If brands over use Emojis it could start to look like they are trying too hard to be cool and "down with the kids". The novelty of it will wear out and the "cool points" the brands use to get will be no more.

Millennials value organic, original ideas that they can relate to. But they are also very fickle. Brands should be more focused on the next best way to communicate with millennials instead of focusing on what has worked well in the past.