By: Kai Cui
We all like emojis, don’t we?
10 years ago, Face with Tears of Joy (😂) was named the Word of the Year by the Oxford English Dictionary. Since then, these tiny symbols, initially created by Shigetaka Kurita in the late 1990s in Japan, have quickly gained popularity on the Internet. With smart devices in almost everyone’s hand now, emojis serve as an innovative and creative way to express emotions visually.
Source: WeChat, xingshu100
For many emojis, people from different cultural backgrounds have a common understanding because they break away from the barriers of language, race, region, culture, and other factors and establish emotional resonance between user groups to bring people around the world closer together. That is why we can see so many brands are adding emojis to their email newsletters, social media posts, polls, and advertising creatives.
However, some emojis may have different meanings in different cultural contexts.
Generally, 👌 means all is well or “okay.” But this gesture is an insult in Brazilian culture. A notable misuse case can trace back to the 1950s, when US Vice President Richard Nixon visited São Paulo. He was trying to show goodwill with this gesture, but what the audience conceived was offence.
Source: www.zfc.edu.cn
Another popular emoji 👍, which means approval, is also considered vulgar or even offensive in traditional Greek and Middle Eastern cultures.
The 😇 angel emoji means someone is showing goodwill and kindness in Western cultures. But in China, it is often used as a sign of death. Well, sort of reasonable.
Similarly, the number 666, which is the number of the beast in Christianity that causes fear and superstition, actually means “very skillful” or “you’re awesome!” in Chinese, so WeChat even created a special emoji for it as below:
Source: WeChat Input Method
That is because the word “six” not only sounds the same as “fortune” in Cantonese, but also “smooth” in Mandarin. Imagine if a Chinese real estate developer acquired the property of 666 Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York; it would never rename it to 660 Fifth Avenue like what Brookfield Properties did in 2021. 😂
When using multiple emojis as a language, it may lead to more diverse understandings. A proven example is when presenting the two symbols of 😷 💪 to translators from different backgrounds; most of them interpreted the two symbols as sickness and getting better.
But French-Canadians thought of this as “Just had biceps implant surgery,” and Arabic translators believed it to represent ‘my armpits are smelly.’ Most German translators saw the same symbols as the “strength of silence,” and a Chinese translator was particularly dramatic explaining, “I’ll not say anything; otherwise I’ll be dead.”
This indicates that when using emojis, people from high-context cultures such as East Asians are often not satisfied with the superficial meaning but refer to some deeper metaphorical meanings. For example, the picking nose WeChat emoji below may only mean “picking nose” in Western countries, but in China it means “I don’t care” or “contempt”.
Source: WeChat Input Method
So what can you do to avoid emoji misunderstandings when using them for marketing?
- Know Your Audience
Research your target demographics thoroughly. Age, culture, language, and region all influence how emojis are interpreted.
- Avoid Overloading Your Message
Less is more: Using too many emojis can dilute your brand voice and confuse the reader.
- Consult Local Experts
If you’re launching a campaign targeting particular communities, remember to double-check with a cultural consultant. What works in mainstream marketing might flop—or offend ethnic minority groups.
- Keep an Eye on Emoji Trends
Emojis evolve with pop culture. What was once innocent can become slang.
- Use Emojis with Brand Voice in Mind
Is your brand fun? Emojis might be a great fit for the lifestyle, catering, and tourism industries. For professional services like law firms and wealth management, emojis might undermine credibility if used too casually.
Thinking about using emoji for your marketing content? Please 🙏 reach out to us. Here at AV Communications, we can help brands navigate these subtle but important differences. We specialize in crafting messages that resonate—emotionally, culturally, and visually—with diverse audiences.
And by the way, 🙏 means “please” or “thank you”, not prayer in many East Asian cultures.