If you were in charge, what’s the one emoji you would add to the pantheon of pictograms? Pizza other than pepperoni? A waterskier or wakeboarder? A hobbit? (They do have elves and wizards already.) Or are you thinking of the most popular vehicle in America?
That’s right, pickup truck emojis do not yet exist. But thanks to Ford, that could finally change.
Today, to coincide with World Emoji Day, the automaker announced the pickup emoji has been short-listed for inclusion in the next emoji update, which is set for early 2020. (This fall’s update is already set.) But as The Atlantic writes, this is no small feat — it has been in the works for years and has cost the company at least $50,000.
That sum has been spent on a campaign Ford is using to push the pickup truck through the finish line, which includes a video narrated by Bryan Cranston (which you can watch below).
Why would one of the biggest automakers in the U.S. spend so much time and money on something so seemingly trivial? It’s part personal, but mostly financial.
Matt VanDyke, Ford’s director of marketing, told The Atlantic that the missing pickup emoji has been “a personal point of anger” for years. As the publication notes, “Your smartphone’s keyboard is yet another digital platform where brands, businesses, and product segments must compete for attention.” Yes, Ford is fighting for your money through emojis.
As to the question of why Ford is going it alone instead of teaming up with other automakers? “The new emoji, or at least its reference image, is clearly a Ford. It looks to be about the size of a midsize Ford Ranger, but its headlights lean forward like an old F-150,” writes The Atlantic.
If all goes according to plan, you’ll see the F-150 — I mean, pickup emoji on phones in June 2020.
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