Knorr Turns Most Ignored Emoji into Flavour Icon for World Emoji Day

In a clever move for World Emoji Day, Knorr Philippines took one of most overlooked emojis and turned it into a symbol of flavour – the yellow cube 🟨. Dubbed the Knorr Cube Emoji, they transformed what was once a forgotten symbol into a digital icon for delicious home-cooked meals.

How They Did It

Days before World Emoji Day, something strange began appearing in the comment sections of Filipino foodie influencers. No hashtags. No context. Just a bunch of 🟨.

It wasn’t long before influencers began to speculate - was it spam? An error made by an intern? Or something bigger?

From Emoji to Recipe

But Knorr didn’t stop there. The brand shared a series of emoji formulas that Filipinos can use to cook their favourite dishes with Knorr. Think: 🐖🍅🌶️🟨💧🔥 = Sinigang na Baboy (Pork Tamarind Stew). Or 🐔🧄🟨🍶🔥 = Chicken Adobo. KOLs and food creators followed Knorr’s lead as they started creating their own content using the Knorr Emoji Recipes. By simplifying Filipino classics into bite-sized emoji formulas, Knorr gave its audience a new, modern way to talk about food.

“This wasn’t just a clever play on internet culture,” said Mark Matibag, Knorr cooking aids brand manager, Foods Philippines. “It was a reminder of just how iconic the Knorr Cube really is. Its image is so deeply rooted in the Filipino cooking experience that even one of the most unused emojis could easily and cleverly carry its meaning.”

Knorr is an iconic brand and they didn’t just claim a piece of digital language, they reshaped how a heritage brand can show up in culture. By giving people a playful, intuitive new way to talk about food, Knorr made home cooking feel more modern, more shareable, and even more relevant in today’s digital world.

With the Knorr Cube Emoji now cemented in pop culture, it’s safe to say one of the least-loved emojis just got a full-flavored revival.