Shownotes Transcript
MOBILE STICKERS - GOOD FUN, AND ALSO A NEW WAY OF MAKING MONEY 微信表情包——好玩又好赚！ If you’re a regular WeChat user, chances are you’re also a sticker collector. Smart-phone use has famously changed the way we communicate, adding pictures and animations to our chats. But where do the little things come from and why do people bother to make them? Ying Junyi has more. 如果你经常使用微信，那么你可能也是一个表情包收集者。众所周知，我们能在聊天框中添加图片和动画，智能手机的使用已经改变了我们的交流方式。但是这些小东西究竟从何而来?为什么人们要费心去制造它们呢? If you look at your WeChats you’ll find hundreds of the things -- from animals to food to cartoon characters. Many people just can’t seem to send a WeChat without them. 你能在自己的微信里找到数以百计的表情包——从动物到食物甚至是卡通人物。很多人一离开表情包甚至都发不了微信。 passer-by Sometimes it’s easier to communicate by using stickers. And many are quite interesting, some related to popular shows. 用表情包有时候反而更容易交流，很多很有意思，和一些当下的剧都有联系。 p****asser-by I use stickers a lot. Usually those from animals, and popular buzzwords. 网上流行的一些词还有动物的表情包，我用的挺多。 And the stickers that we like are constantly changing - people always get tired of the old ones. That means the designers need to upgrade their work from time to time. But coming up with a new sticker is not a quick or a casual matter. 我们总在更新自己喜欢的表情包——人们总会用腻旧的。这意味着设计师需要不断地更新自己的作品，但是构思新的表情包并不是一件简单的事情。 Sivir Peng, General Manager Nanchang South Whale Advertising Agency When designing stickers we often take inspiration from our daily lives. Our designers usually get ideas from entertainment or by browsing【浏览】 both domestic and overseas illustration websites for a while. And since we’re in the digital era, we need to use popular buzzwords in our stickers. We select the phrases we use carefully, to make sure we’re popular with users. 我们表情包的设计灵感主要来自于日常生活，我们的设计师会从一些文娱作品，还有长期地从国内外设计网站上的插画获取灵感。在当前网络时代下，还得在设计思路里加入更多的网络流行语，但是考虑到很多的流行时间周期性会比较短，所以会去仔细做选择，从而在市场的认同度上有一个很好的加深。 But Peng says once a sticker series receives high public recognition, it can become a brand in itself, allowing the designer to make some serious money by selling derivatives. And seeing the growing use of stickers among the younger generation, many companies like real estate【房地产】 service provider Tospur Consulting have already partnered with designers to introduce their own sticker sets on WeChat. 但是彭希表示，一个表情包系列非常受公众欢迎的话，它本身就可以成为一个品牌，设计师也可以通过出售衍生品来赚钱。表情包在年轻一代中的使用越来越多，许多公司，比如房地产服务提供商Tospur Consulting，就已经与设计师合作，在微信上推出了他们自己的表情包套装。 Zoey Tao, Brand Director Tospur Bemoor Consulting We want to make a breakthrough in our brand image.As you know,we are a consulting company engaged in the real estate industry, so most of time we are traditional and professional. However, with the development of this industry, our clients are becoming more and more diversified. And we want to upgrade our brand to make it more energetic. So we design some common scenario****s【场景】 which would happen in the real estate industry. 我们想在品牌形象上有所突破。我们是一家从事房地产行业的咨询公司，所以很多时候我们看起来比较传统和专业。但是随着行业的发展，我们的客户也越来越多元化。我们想升级我们的品牌，让它更有活力。所以我们设计了一些有关房地产行业的常见场景（的表情包）。 Other famous brands like Pepsi and Starbucks have also taken advantage of the popularity of stickers, and experts say that’s an excellent way for brands to stay in touch with their customers. 其他知名品牌比如百事可乐和星巴克，也利用了表情包的流行性。有关专家表示，这是各品牌与消费者保持联系的一个极好的方式。 Prof. Xiang Debao, School of Journalism Communication Shanghai International Studies University By launching their own stickers for promotion, companies can better target their consumers and build their brand images. They can make stickers by talking in their targeted consumers’ language. Using stickers is an effective way to boost brand loyalty. 从商家的角度来说，推出自己的表情包能更好地帮助他们在受众中进行宣传以及个体形象的打造，他们可以利用目标受众的语言来制作表情包，这也能更好提高受众对于品牌的忠诚度。 There were 1.2 billion monthly active accounts on WeChat as of the end of the third quarter, and you can be sure they were all full of stickers. It’s great exposure for brands and advertisers, and for the people who make the little guys. 截至2021年第三季度末，微信月活跃账户有12亿，而他们一定都会使用表情包。对于品牌和广告商，以及那些制作表情包的人来说，这是提高曝光度的绝佳机会。 #热词加油站 browse [braʊz] v. 随意翻阅；浏览信息 real estate [ˈriːəl ɪˈsteɪt] n. 不动产，房地产 scenario [səˈnɑːriəʊ] n. 设想，可能发生的情况；（艺术或文学作品中的）场景 订阅我们，打卡每日精选英语新闻！ 不定期投放“精品大咖访谈” 喜欢生肉贴的小伙伴，可以常来逛逛哟~