‘THE FUTURE OF VISUAL BROWSING’
This is what the next generation of social media superstars are using to express themselves. The public’s appetite for new and innovative social networks shows no signs of abating, with Pinterest rapidly emerging as ‘the’ social media phenomenon of early 2012. As of February 2012, the site had 10.4 million registered users and an average of 2 million users per day. February also saw Pinterest drive MORE traffic to third-party websites than Twitter did – signalling huge implications for brands looking to use social channels to drive traffic to online platforms, whether a company website, blog or e-commerce platform. This is BIG. So what’s behind all the hype? Pinterest is a ‘visual pinboard’, allowing users to ‘pin’ images onto ‘boards’ on their profiles, according to themes, groups and passions. “Pinterest lets you organise and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organise their favourite
recipes. Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.” Perhaps this description goes some way to explaining the unique gender demographics of this network. Statistics show that 97% of Pinterest’s Facebook fans are women, a demographic split that is replicated fairly accurately on the main Pinterest site. These women have been adopting Pinterest in their droves...
What does this mean for brands? Needless to say, the sheer number of consumers flocking to Pinterest makes the platform an attractive proposition for brands and businesses. Add to this the fact that Pinterest drives more traffic to websites than Twitter, Google + and LinkedIn and you can quickly see a huge opportunity for the right brands in this innovative new space. Indeed, many of the world’s biggest brands have flocked to Pinterest already – but how are they using it? Clothing and ‘lifestyle’ brands such as GAP have been quick to jump on the Pinterest bandwagon, creating mood boards that reflect ‘inspiration’ for their latest collections and ‘denim icons’. What does this do? It allows GAP to curate a broad visual identity for itself, building lifestyle and aspirational messaging into its branding simply through subtle image association. A well-executed and proven method to build on a brand identity through a popular new platform.
that consumers find easy and appealing. Tarte Cosmetics (in the US) uses its Pinterest boards to display its broad product ranges by category, offering a brief description with each picture. Due to Pinterest’s simplicity, all users have to do is click on the desired image and they are taken directly to the product page on the company’s e-commerce platform. Brands can also offer users the chance to pin their images onto the brands boards. This is yet another example of social crowd-sourcing that allows consumers to feel closer to, and valued by, the brands they interact with as part of their world.
Other businesses have taken a more commercial approach to Pinterest, using its visual appeal to showcase products in a way
Retailers should be getting Pinterested The Future? There’s no doubt that Pinterest is big business and here to stay. It undoubtedly has strengths in certain key areas and naturally appeals to certain demographics that are visual-led. For example fashion, photography, retail, clothing, make-up etc. These prominent ‘sectors’ also explain why Pinterest is such a female-dominated platform. Some brands can also offer users the chance to pin their images onto the brands boards. This is yet another example of social crowd-sourcing that allows consumers to feel closer to, and valued by, the brands they interact with as part of their world.
bmi offers lottery on Pinterest with re-pinners getting the chance to win free flights Airline bmi has launched a game of chance on Pinterest, with those who re-pin up to six images from one of the five boards potentially having the chance to win free flights. At the end of each week a number is chosen. The random user who chose that number will win a pair of return free flights to any bmi destination.
“By running the Pinterest Lottery, we’re hopefully not only giving Pinterest users ideas of where they might like to fly to, we’re also injecting an element of fun and of chance into the promotion.”
Stuart Beamish, marketing director at bmi, said: “We’re always looking for different ways in which social channels can be used to bring the destinations we fly to, to life and Pinterest is a perfect place to do this.
Source: The Drum
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