• by Gavin O'Malley , Staff Writer @mp_gavin, August 15, 2016

Earlier this summer, I applauded Twitter for adding a virtual #Stickers feature.

Letting users stick silly sunglasses, clown faces, and tiaras onto their photos added an element of fun that had been sorely missing from the network.  

Of course, I’m not the only fan of fun, which many analysts think is the secret to Snapchat’s success.

“In a world in which there is an app for nearly everything, Snapchat has cut through the clutter by injecting fun back into social sharing," Cathy Boyle, a principal analyst at eMarketer, noted in a recent report.

Since launching #Stickers in late June, Twitter says the feature has been used millions of times.

Naturally, Twitter is now inviting brands to create their own stickers, and promising to give them prominent placement in exchange for cash.

“Promoted #Stickers represents a huge opportunity for brands to drive brand affinity and raise awareness of their message at scale,” said Ilya Brown, head of brand and video ad products at Twitter.

First up is Pepsi, which has signed on as the exclusive launch partner of Promoted #Stickers, and plans to share about 50 custom stickers across 10 markets as part of its global PepsiMoji campaign.

The deal also includes a custom Niche creator campaign showing consumers how to use their #Stickers, as well as a branded Pepsi emoji and a Promoted Trend.

Taken together, “The campaign marks the largest partnership between Twitter and Pepsi to date,” according to Brown.

Following Pepsi’s lead, brands can design four or eight stickers -- like accessories and other props -- for users to add to their photos.

#Stickers also serve as a visual hashtag, meaning that photos that include a brand’s sticker will be connected and discoverable to anyone who taps that sticker.

Smartly, this lets brands see and engage with the people who are sharing their stickers.