Twitter is using emoji to show you ads, so maybe cool it with the eggplants

What do the emojis you use most say about you as a person?

That's what brands on Twitter will soon be trying to figure out after the social network announced a new feature Wednesday that lets businesses shape ad campaigns around the usage of a particular emoji.

Much like Twitter's existing keyword targeting option, advertisers can now program certain promoted posts to pop up in the timelines of people who have recently tweeted or engaged with -- retweeted, liked or clicked the link of -- any post containing a given emoji.  

For example, Domino's could center an advertising push around people who have shown an interest in the pizza emoji. Or Adidas might target an ad for a pair of cleats at users who have tweeted the soccer ball emoji.

Brands interested in a more abstract approach can alternatively design ads to resonate with a certain emotion, then direct them towards people whose emoji regimen indicates they might empathize.

"Emojis have become a ubiquitous way for people, publishers, and brands to express their feelings," writes Neil Shah, Twitter's ads API product manager, in a blog post. "This new feature uses emoji activity as a signal of a person’s mood or mindset."

Unlike rival Instagram, Twitter still doesn't allow emojis in the search bar.

The company claims that more than 110 billion emojis have been tweeted on the platform since 2010.

Twitter has been grappling for new ways to bring in ad money lately as Wall Street remains doubtful of its ability to continue growing. 

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