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New School's emoji keyboard points to pervasiveness of mobile messaging

The New School?s emoji keyboard launch shows the pervasiveness of the visual language as it has now made its way to education providers, in this case helping the school connect with potential students.

As younger demographics become more interested in using emojis, a wide range of brands are incorporating branded stickers into their strategies and The New School is bringing them to education. Students at the higher education institution can now communicate on mobile messaging applications through the schools? branded emoji keyboard, which is downloadable as an app.

?For any brand, the most effective form of marketing is word-of-mouth from a friend,? said Christian Brucculeri, CEO of Snaps, the developer of the keyboard. ?According to a Nielsen study, 92 percent of consumers believe recommendations from friends and family over all forms of advertising.  

?Brand emojis are the most effective way for brands to unlock word-of-mouth marketing at scale in mobile,? he said. ?Over 100 million branded emojis have been shared across our network, and it works. 

?We have driven 300 percent increases in purchase intent for consumers who are exposed to a brand's emoji.?

Language of emoji
Smartphone users can download The New School emoji keyboard to interact via symbols that embody iconic aspects of the school and New York City. Users can download the app in the Android Marketplace or iOS App Store and install the keyboard from there. 

To include the emojis in mobile messaging apps, users have to go to settings and install the keyboard. The emojis will appear as another keyboard within a message.
However, the branded images act a little differently and require uses to copy and paste the images they want to use into the message. The mobile app walks users through the experience so they do not have any trouble using the emojis. 

Some of The New School?s emojis include a Metrocard, a street sign reading 11th street, a painter?s palette and a pincushion. These symbols represent various school-related subjects, such as the Metrocard for New York?s subway system and 11th street for its location, with the palette and pincushion showcasing available majors. 


The idea behind the app launch is to target young consumers who are looking at colleges and are highly receptive to emojis and mobile marketing. The New School is ramping up a cool factor to appeal to the young prospective students. 

Brands and keyboards
Recognizing that emojis can be a fun way for mobile-savvy sports enthusiasts to express team spirit, the Baltimore Ravens recently launched a customized, team-branded keyboard, complete with a Ravens helmet and Ray Lewis? jersey, that was quickly embraced by fans (see more). 

Similarly, Universal Studio?s Minions film released an emoji keyboard prior to its box office opening, adeptly leveraging the lovable qualities of the film?s characters to support the franchise and let users have fun with the brand (see more).

?Over 30 percent of emoji keyboard installs on our network are viral, meaning one consumer shares a download link with a friend,? Mr. Brucculeri said. ?This type of behavior creates an opportunity to reach advocates at scale, and have them tell their friends.?