RuPaul?s Drag Race is among several brands getting a leg-up on effectively connecting to fans through emoji keyboards. 

A new CMS platform allows for brands to see real-time analytics of what is working best through mobile messaging and emoji keyboards for the ability to adjust content accordingly. RuPaul?s Drag Race has been successful in connecting to consumers with its emoji keyboard, and is taking it one-step further to ensure it is accurately updated to continue bonding with fans in an effective manner. 

"There are two primary benefits for brands," said Christian Brucculeri, CEO of Snaps. "The first is data and analytics, we have released an analytics platform that helps brands understand how their keyboards are performing and also which pieces of content are performing best within each keyboard. 

"Additionally, brands can see anonymized demographic and behavioral information about their users, including age categories, gender, and other behavioral metrics," he said. "Second is real-time content updates, for brands driving tune-in, i.e. television and sports, our CMS allows marketers to update their content in real-time with episodic material. 

"By updating this content before tune-in, marketers can drive up conversation and chatter about their programs to increase conversations about their content, and improve tune-in."

Racing to fans
The system developed by Snaps allows brands to immediately update its GIF, emoji and sticker content. RuPual?s Drag Race can now send push-notifications to its users as well as track and optimize the campaign through a dashboard. 

Brands now have access to analytics that display what users are using most, what is not being used and what could be better. This allows them to option to adjust its content to what fans and consumers are interested. 

This is extremely important when it comes to marketing and consumer relationships. Brands using the snaps solution want to have fun with fans and want to generate an authentic brand image. 

Adjusting content based off of consumer-data is key. It is important to constantly adjust content, and more imperative to do so before consumer outcry.

A brand updating its content after fans have already had a bad experience is too late. Marketers must constantly keep an eye on what is working and what is not before a bad consumer experience occurs. 

The Snaps CMS platform that Ru Paul's Drag Race and numerous other brands are using to control emoji keyboards

This CMS platform offers brands that ability to do so in a seamless manner and more importantly in real-time. There is no lag between when a brand decides a change needs to be made and when it reaches users. 

Competition with emojis
As branded emojis grow in popularity, it is important to stay competitive in this field. Recently, Lifetime?s drama series Unreal has joined in the emoji trend with a keyboard available on Tango. 

RuPaul?s Drag Race and footwear retailer Foot Locker joined in on emoji keyboard applications in April, in an effort to connect further with fans (see more). 

Also, Time Inc.'s culinary publication Food & Wine launched an emoji and branded sticker keyboard application to expand its consumer reach and become a staple in the food-and-beverage culture of mobile-savvy consumers (see more). 

"This is the only product on the market that allows marketers to update content in real-time and receive deep analytics that help them understand how their audiences are engaging in the messaging space," Mr. Brucculeri said. "Brands need to pursue strategies that put them into consumer conversations where they're happening.  

"Every macro data point, from Mary Meeker's Internet Trends Report, to Facebook's announcements on user growth of their messaging apps, points to the insight that consumers are spending more time in messaging apps, but it's a challenging  place to market without the right solution," he said. "We provide solutions that allow brands a voice in messaging without interfering with the core messaging experience. 

"We are going beyond advertising and allowing brands to provide a value exchange with their audiences: great content experiences that give consumers content to share with friends. It's a win-win."

Final take
Brielle Jaekel is editorial assistant at Mobile Marketer