Air New Zealand developed an interactive online experience celebrating New Zealand tourism using the language of emojis.

To participate, users comment on Air New Zealand #EmojiJourney Facebook and Twitter posts with a chosen combinations of emojis they would personally use to describe their perfect New Zealand vacation. Then, their particular combination of emojis generates a link to a personalized map of New Zealand, with each emoji corresponding to points on the map. The interactive map is clickable, providing further information on each of the attractions displayed.

According to Jodi Williams, general manager, global brand and content marketing, Air New Zealand, the experience is inspired by the ways millennials and Generation Z use emojis in their day-to-day lives.

“This is a fun and unique way to showcase New Zealand and our regions, from skiing at Ruapehu, rafting in Rotorua or whale watching in Kaikoura, to the iconic Len Lye Centre in New Plymouth, or some of the country’s foodie hotspots. For example, if I wanted to head to one of New Zealand’s renowned wine regions I would enter the wine emoji,” said Williams. “Our airline is committed to enhancing the customer experience and leading the way when it comes to innovation. #EmojiJourney will be progressively launched in our global markets in English, Japanese, German and Chinese and we hope this new experience will not only inspire visitors to travel to New Zealand but will also get Kiwis out exploring their own backyard.”

“Emojis have become almost ubiquitous on Twitter as everyone from politicians, to sports stars, to brands are using these expressive images to communicate. When you can convey emotion faster and in less characters than words, it’s no wonder they are so popular,” added Suzy Nicoletti, managing director, Twitter, Air New Zealand. “With an average of 3.5 billion emojis used on Twitter every month, Air New Zealand’s #EmojiJourney campaign is a fun and easy way for Twitter users to discover the best of what New Zealand has to offer, with all the creativity we’ve come to expect from @FlyAirNZ.”