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Pinterested?

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       What is it about Pinterest that has caught the fleeting attention span of the masses? Is it the artistic photos, the endless sources for inspiration, or the fact that is also happens to be one of the best new marketing tools out there? Pinterest is a relatively new player in the social media realm and has already become a high roller of sorts. What began as a small invite-only virtual mood board has morphed into a sensation with over ten million current users and that number is growing. Pinterest is captivating everyone: housewives, students, CEO’s, and even grandmothers are all looking to get a piece of the Pinning fun. Pinterest allows creativity to shine and includes everything from delicious recipes for every palate to the newest fashion-trends for every fashionista.
      Some super savvy brands have pounced on the Pinterest bandwagon and have utilized the site to their benefit. By posting pictures with a small pithy caption, companies have been able to drive traffic to their sites, inspire their consumers and begin a photographic conversation with their audiences.
   The most successful companies have learned to cross-reference all of their social media sites so that their presence remains connected and uniquely woven together across all platforms. In a post by Lauren Sorenson on The HubSpot Inbound Internet Marketing blog, she identified seven brands that are utilizing Pinterest particularly well and explains what it is that makes their Pinterest presence so fruitful. Sorenson explains that brands like Chobani and Etsy are not simply promoting their companies, but promoting their brands as a lifestyle.Pinterest’s highly visual element allows people to peruse not just products with a price point like most websites, but to discover a company’s visual aesthetic and participate in the Pinterest relationship by repining, commenting and liking pins and boards. Pinterest has done an incredible job of taking a photographic compilation and transforming it into a highly interactive website that allows companies to participate with their audiences in a new, exciting way.
      Pinterest members are also forging their own personal brands by compiling individual products to represent different facets of their lives. Some of the most common board titles are “My Style,” “Wedding Bells,” “Travel,” “Wish List,” and the scrumptious “Nom Nom” food genres. Users browse the web and other pinners’ boards to gain new additions to their ultimate brand endorsement. The products pinned to “Wish List” boards gain a desirability and the items repinned create a sense of community among those who highlight the same things. These boards act as a network of products brought together by the consumer. Ultimately, a users Pinterest page is a sort of personal brand profile that allows the user to create an image of not only their present self but most importantly, the consumer they want to be.
By: Kacy Cox, Alexis Kapczynski, Sara Kaloudis, Josh Bowman

Comments

3 responses to “Pinterested?”

  1. Hillary Linn Avatar
    Hillary Linn

    I found this blog post to be really interesting, probably beacuse i’m a huge fan of Pinterest. When I first stared hearing about it, I decided to check out the site to see what all the hype was about, and I was instantly hooked. I feel like Pinterest is new mondern day way of branding that more and more people/companies are going to take part it. It is so easy to to scroll through and see all the amazing ideas. I found it interesting when you talked about how people are creating their own personal brands by making these personal boards. I think that this is a really cool concept and it kind of helps people to create a self identification. Pinterest has been a huge sucess so its exciting what new thing will become popular next!

    – Hillary Linn

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  2. Anna Petrea Avatar
    Anna Petrea

    As I was scrolling down the blog site for one that caught my attention I immediately stopped at this one marked with the Pinterest logo. I admit, like Hillary, I am a Pinterest fanatic. I find myself scrolling through the different categories of creative recopies and eye catching pictures more and more each day. I thought the connections made in this blog with Pinterest and personal branding were really insightful. I have never really thought about what Pinterest is doing for the world of marketing and advertising. Like the blog mentions, it increases traffic to the brands websites which in turn increases the popularity of their brand name and hopefully later in their sales. When I Pinterest, and a product or brand catches my eye, I immediately click on the small picture or bit of information it provides to find out more. Without me realizing, I have now visited a brand’s website that I might have never heard of before (and who knows if I ever WOULD have heard about it if I didn’t stumble upon it on Pinterest). This is a great tactic for companies to get their products out to consumers and build their brand image to the public. My views about the purpose of Pinterest will never be the same after reading this blog (and this whole time I thought the site was developed to free me from my boredom and give me fun and creative ideas).

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  3. Alyssa Rose Wilhelmy Avatar
    Alyssa Rose Wilhelmy

    I think this was an interesting article, because I use Pinterest all the time, and never thought of it as a way to market products. The idea that you create your own brand is totally true because people chose to follow you based on what you pin and your categories. Clothing companies in particular should be excited about this new marketing trend because the viewer has the chance to fall in love with the outfit and see its popularity before seeing the label or the price, and may decide to buy it despite it. It always surprises me when I see an article of clothing I liked on Pinterest in an actual store here in Wilmington.

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