Marketing

Market research by emoji

Facebook’s addition of multiple “reaction” emojis has expanded the ways consumers can respond to content across the site. The feature hasn’t gone unnoticed: Operators are using the pint-sized images to garner instant feedback from consumers.

TGI Fridays hosted its own version of March Madness this spring with its Endless Eight tournament. Over the course of a month, pairs of the chain’s Endless Apps menu items went toe to toe in individual brackets. Users were able to vote for their favorite using the “like” and “love” emojis. Instead of reacting to a photo, they made their choice through a Facebook live video, allowing the social media team to gain immediate insight into which appetizers are striking a chord with consumers and respond in real time to comments, which included opinions of
the new menu additions. 

To highlight the customizability of its steampot menu item, Joe’s Crab Shack in June let users create their own steampot on Facebook by selecting emojis that corresponded to different ingredient add-ins.

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