Oh yeah, it is. Well, I think Ukrainian people use it too, but outside of Russia and Ukraine, I haven’t seen it.
The first time a friend of mine texted “)”, I thought that she accidentally pressed it on her phone. After she kept using “)” I thought that her phone’s screen was broken.
Eventually I got curious and asked the meaning behind it. Then I understood it and knew how and when to use it hahaha.
That’s the thing, make sure you make it clear that you are just a passionate individual. Be friendly, be nice. Companies respect that.