Are Emojis the New Words? A Sentiment Analysis of Social Media Brand Conversations

Emojis have become an increasingly important aspect of consumer-brand interactions in the Indian subcontinent. However, the impact of emoji use on brand image and mental health remains underexplored, particularly in emerging economies like India, where structured research on this topic is limited. To address this gap, the present study analyzes over 4,600 consumer tweets related to 19 prominent brands across eleven industries. Using VADER sentiment analysis, the research develops a metric to assess consumer sentiment and brand engagement in relation to emoji usage. The findings indicate that effective integration of emojis contributes to positive consumer sentiment and enhanced brand engagement. Given that emojis have become a fundamental part of everyday communication, this study recommends that brand and marketing managers closely monitor consumer interactions with emojis, utilizing rich data to refine communication strategies and maximize emoji-driven engagement.