Author: Julie Campbell

Mobile search results at Google no longer support emoji

| June 26, 2015

The search engine has been planning to remove them for a while now, and it has finally happened.

The desktop and mobile search results from Google have now had their emoji support removed, in a move that has been a part of the company’s strategy for some time now and that has surprised some but that has been perfectly expected by others.

Google has never pretended that it has been much of a fan of the emoji when it comes to mobile tech based searches.

The actual removal of the emoji from desktop and mobile search results was a quiet one that occurred over the weekend. The ability to conduct a query through the use of these emoticons was simply taken off without making any form of official announcement that could be found by the time of the writing of this article. Searchers have since noticed that when they try to use them as a part of a query, they do not receive the results that they once would have.

At the same time, pages that continue to use emoji for mobile search optimization won’t be penalized.

Mobile Search - Google removes emojisThe only real outcome is that those emoji will not appear in Google search results when the page happens to come up in the search results. That said, when accompanied by text, the emoji will still appear in the headers. It is only in the description text that it will no longer be displayed or called up into the mobile searching results.

This has occurred after emoji have been permissible as a part of mobile queries for quite some time now. A few months ago it finally managed to work its way into the desktop search world, as well. However, a few weeks ago, Google did mention that it would no longer be supporting emoji for its search on any kind of device so now that this has actually occurred, there are many who don’t find it to be truly surprising.

Emoji had been used for desktop and mobile search by certain brands as a part of a broader strategy to make their way to the top of the results list. For example, a new way for a pizza restaurant to search engine optimized could have been to do so with the pizza emoji. That is no longer the case, when searching through Google.

American Girl launches mobile app friendship bracelet game

| June 23, 2015

The highly popular brand from Mattel Inc. is now making its way into the digital world with an application and microsite.

The American Girl brand from Mattel Inc. has now launched a new mobile app that will allow its users to be able to create virtual friendship bracelets that they can then share with their friends who are also users of the application.

This effort to move into the digital space is also being accompanied by the addition of a new microsite.

Both the mobile app and the microsite’s appearance have been designed to be released in time to draw attention to the new Truly Me doll from Mattel, as well as the accessories line that goes with that product. The website was created with the desktop experiences in mind, but it can also be used on smartphones and tablets. That said, while all of the features may work over mobile devices, the format remains the same as that of the desktop, which can be a turnoff to many small screen device users.

The mobile app is the experience specifically meant for smartphone and tablet users as the microsite is not optimized.

Mobile App - American GirlThe addition of the mobile application and the website that gives access to the experience to laptop and desktop users has the potential to expand the interaction and interest associated with the Mattel products. It works well with the existing feature of the brand that has been designed to ensure that each doll is seen as its own unique individual.

Every doll has a character that belongs to her alone. She has her own interests, experiences, talents, and her own accessories. This makes it possible for children to be able to personalize and customize their dolls so that they can better identify with them and so that the product will mean more to them. American Girl strategically leverages the activity of playing with a toy in real life as well as using a computer or video game, in order to enhance the meaningfulness of the experience with the brand.

By making a mobile app and a desktop microsite, American Girl will appeal to consumers who use either or both of those digital platforms.