The branded sticker/emoji marketing trend is getting a boost from Apple. A special app store for iMessage has just been launched, and already brands like Disney, Burger King, and Mario Bros. plan to launch their own stickers through the platform. Toyota will be launching iMessage “FanMojis” for football fans to “express their feelings at peak passion moments of the game.” Stickers have proved to be a profitable revenue stream for brands: messaging app Line’s in-app sticker sales reach $270 million a year. In total there are 1.4 billion monthly users on messaging apps globally, and half of mobile phone users in the U.S. will be using messaging by the end of the year. (Digiday)
