Just a year after the Oxford Dictionary named the 'crying with laughter emoji' 2015's word of the year, we may have reached peak emoji – or brands have, at least. Research shows that over half of Brits think brands are trying too hard with their use of heart eyes, winky faces and poop emojis.

Dictionary.com has added definitions for emojis, complete with examples of usage, highlighting just how much technology has changed our relationship to language. But as emojis get the okay for official use, people are closely scrutinising the ways that brands harness them.

With seemingly little effort in a smiley or thumbs up sign, emojis might have once been dismissed as the lowest form of communication. But as more human interaction goes digital and eliminates nonverbal cues, they're becoming a powerful vessel for people’s feelings and personalities.

Memes are a staple of internet culture – but what happens when brands try to get in on the action? As part of its #TFW campaign, Gucci collaborated with artists to create branded memes, but was this co-opting of digital youth culture an inspired decision, or just cringeworthy?