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Published February 1st 2016
British department store group House of Fraser’s 300,000 followers got a bit of a shock yesterday when a flurry of cringe-worthy “emojinal” tweets filled their Twitter feed.
The brand, usually more known for their luxury-focused image, had been posting tweets under the hashtag “#Emojinal takeover”- which included images of celebrities sporting emoji crowns and trumpets, an obscure “Harry Birthday” message to One Directioner Harry Styles and a peachy dig at Kanye West.
Looks like our #Emojinal takeover has started! ????????????????
— House of Fraser (@houseoffraser) February 1, 2016
Leo¹s not tooting his own horn or anything, but @RevenantMovie deserves an Oscar! @LeoDiCaprio#SagAwardspic.twitter.com/CPaE0Ipuop
— House of Fraser (@houseoffraser) February 1, 2016
House of Fraser’s Facebook and Instagram pages were also plastered with emojis but did not match the volume of posts their Twitter account published.
No one was sure whether the account had been hacked, or whether it’s an odd and fairly off-brand PR stunt by the international store.
Several tweets from the official account suggested that it has been compromised, including an emoji-filled apology.
Really sorry guys, not sure what’s going on here… ?? WITH US ?
— House of Fraser (@houseoffraser) February 1, 2016
According to City AM, House of Fraser said they would be testing out new marketing ideas ahead of Valentines Day. Could #Emojinal be part of these experiments?
It seemed so. Later the account tweeted that the emojis were part of a Valentines Day promotion and released an emoji filled movie quiz that rewarded players with Valentines Day discount.
Whether you felt the love today or not, we hope you enjoy our #emojinal movie quiz and the treat if you complete it. https://t.co/CNk98xQ5FR
— House of Fraser (@houseoffraser) February 1, 2016
Whoever was in charge of the tweets, they got thousands of people talking about it.
Twitter was initially unsure as to how to respond to House of Fraser’s strange emojinal outburst, but here are some of the best reactions we saw:
Has Jedward taken over the @houseoffraser account?
— Jason (@KeefFan) February 1, 2016
@houseoffraser Aww hun. Monday’s are always tough.
— Mr Robin Hosking (@MrRobinHosking) February 1, 2016
You alright Hun? @houseoffraser ?
— Jade (@JadeAliceBlog) February 1, 2016
is a 13 year old girl hacking @houseoffraser twitter right now?! i’m so embarrassed for them right now. actual, literal cringing.
— annie jakeman (@anniejakeman) February 1, 2016
What do you think of House of Fraser’s strange behaviour?
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