L?Oreal is jumping into the social conversation among beauty fans by giving them an emoji keyboard that seamlessly incorporates the marketer's brands into messages and driving awareness of the new icons with a contest.

The beauty manufacturer launched an emoji keyboard for mobile messaging applications that allows users to sends small images in relation to products from its brands, trending topics and anything beauty-related. While emoji keyboards can resonate well with consumers, getting the apps out in front of potential users can be a challenge so L?Oreal is launching a contest that prompts users to design their own "Beamoji" for a chance to visit New York. 

?The Beaumojis are available only via mobile, and are out on both iOS and Android,? said Rachel Weiss, vice president innovation and Entrepreneurship at L'Oreal USA. ?We see the emoji keyboard as a natural evolution for L?Oreal as we continue to look for ways to use mobile engagement to reach our audience, which is very digitally savvy. 

?We recently launched Snapchat filters, for instance, and have a very popular augmented reality app Makeup Genius,? she said. 

L?Oreal?s Beaumoji keyboard launched yesterday as an app that users can download and share messages to friends with small beauty-related images that tap into trends and buzzworthy topics in the beauty world. The images are broken up into various categories, such as beYOUtiful, It Girl, Iconic, Love and Pampered Life. 

The brand noticed an opportunity to connect with consumers through beauty emojis after social listening tools discovered the large discussion happening on social media surrounding the industry, along with use of the standard beauty emojis. To make sure fans are aware of the new keyboard, L?Oreal has launched a social media contest in which users share their own beauty emoji design on social platforms. 

The winner will be based on quality, judged by well-known beauty influencers from social media and will be invited to attend Beautycon in New York along with a one-night stay. The winning emoji will be featured on stage at Beautycon, taking place on October 1. 

Makeup brush brand Real Techniques similarly got in on the ground floor of the latest innovation with emojis via an app that automatically transforms key words into branded emojis (see more). 

Emoijs have significant capability to connect with women and brands are leveraging the tactic in a varied number of ways. 

For instance, Procter & Gamble?s Always brand shared a mobile video campaign that called for emoji keyboards to include more powerful icons of women rather than embracing gender stereotypes, reflecting the significant role the messaging symbols play in young consumers' lives (see more). 

?We know that our consumers are increasingly spending their time on mobile messaging platforms and have been asking for emojis and gifs that speak to how they want to communicate about beauty,? Ms. Weiss said. ?The Beaumoji keyboard is equipped with 130 new icons and gives beauty enthusiasts another way to communicate about beauty trends?everything from ombre lips to colorful hairstyles to nail art. 

?We are also encouraging people to submit new Beaumoji ideas using the hashtag #BeaumojiContest for a chance to win a one night trip to NYC and a VIP ticket to Beautycon Festival NY,? she said.