Supporters of Albert and Alberta Gator can now use specialized emojis to communicate through social media and messaging.
Alicia Longworth, the assistant athletic director for marketing and promotions for the University Athletic Association, said the marketing staff has been working with Ree Stickers since April to develop the brand of stickers.
People can download the app, Ree Stickers, on Apple’s app store or Google Play for no cost, but there are in-app purchases.
Ree Stickers is an app that turns mascots and school logos into emoji stickers. The app features stickers from 42 different universities and colleges that can be shared through Facebook messenger, Twitter, Instagram and regular texting.
“Emoji stickers are a very trendy item that we knew our fans and students would love,” Longworth said.
Longworth said work on the project came at no cost to the UAA.
John Hart, the CEO of MyWeb and developer of Ree Stickers, said the company paid UF licensing fees to use their mascot. He declined to comment how much they paid.
Hart said the UF-specific emojis have “thousands” of users.
“Considering the time that’s been spent on marketing the Florida Gators set, that’s pretty good,” Hart said.
Noah Richman, a 19-year-old UF accounting sophomore, said the new keyboard could further personalize social media interactions.
“It would provide tremendous value to the emoji game,” Richman said. “I would use it.”
