Month: September 2012

Putting Pinterest into Perspective

Post author By Ali Birston
Post date September 24, 2012
No Comments on Putting Pinterest into Perspective

“Pinterest: where women go to plan imaginary weddings, dress children that don’t exist, and decorate homes they can’t afford.”

Ironically enough, this quote was found from a pin on a board titled “Define Pinterest – ADDICTED”. It made me laugh and at the same time caused me to reflect a little deeper on the underlying reasons people are so addicted to Pinterest and how brands can effectively capitalize on that.

While many large companies such as Whole Foods, Sephora, and Honda and have found creative ways to capitalize on its addictive qualities and garner a following on Pinterest, one campaign in particular caught me by surprise. UNICEF, well-known as the leading charitable organization for children, recently created a Pinterest board that puts our first world materialistic desires to shame.

The page highlights a young 13-year old girl from Sierra Leone named Ami and only has one board “Really want these”. The only six pins on her board include fresh water, soap, and rice – certainly a stark contrast to the lavish outfits, recipes, and wedding rings most commonly drooled over by young women in North America. Users can repin her posts to spread awareness and can also donate by clicking on any one of them.

Not only does this put our wants and needs into perspective but shows that there are certainly interesting new ways for untraditional companies, in this case NGOs, to leverage the wide user base of Pinterest addicts and create strong word-of-mouth.

Reference: The (Intentionally) Saddest Pinterest Page in the World

Tags Pinterest, UNICEF

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Could Facebook Change The Way We Search?

Post author By Ali Birston
Post date September 17, 2012
No Comments on Could Facebook Change The Way We Search?

As members of Gen Y, it is fair to say most of us have been conditioned to head straight to Google when we’re looking for specific information. But what if the next evolution of the search engine actually provided direct answers to our questions rather than just spitting out results?

That is exactly what Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg has in mind and something which could eventually pose a significant threat to Google. Lucky for Facebook, Google has failed to create it’s own successful social network, leaving Facebook with the huge advantage of vast amounts of personal data (check-ins, photos, biographical data, stories published to friends, etc.) that could serve as the perfect means to answer specific questions rather than solely providing facts and links.

So what would this look like? While it seems doubtful that a separate Facebook search site will be launched anytime soon, it is certainly possible that Facebook’s current search bar could be improved to be able to include this added functionality. I mean how incredibly cool would it be if Facebook could provide answers to questions like, “What are the best restaurants my friend’s have visited in the past month?” or, “Which of my friends, or friends of friends knows that contact I met at an event last night?”

These are exactly the types of socially related searches that could be extremely relevant to people and something that Google is certainly missing at the moment. Investors and businesses are also particularly intrigued by the potential for increased ability for paid ads both in the search typeahead, as well as next to or above search results. And in my opinion, after quite the controversial IPO, this could be Facebook’s much needed solution to generate a totally new stream of revenues and help increase their stock price.

So what does this mean for marketers? This could be the perfect way to further tap into Facebook’s 845 million active user base by positioning ads at exactly the right time and place when people are hungry for answers and most likely to be influenced.

Reference: http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/16/faceboogle/

Tags Facebook, Google, Search

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Tattoo thinking

Everyday we are faced with hundreds of decisions. Some of them we make subconsciously, while others we contemplate for days. I bet you’ve rarely woken up one day and spontaneously decided to get a tattoo. This is obviously due to its irreversible nature, but when it comes to other not-so-permanent decisions why are we so hesitant to be bold and take risks?

I must admit I was quite refreshed after reading marketing guru Seth Godin’s blog “Tattoo Thinking” that proposed a new lens with which to view decision making from both a personal and corporate perspective. Although a tattoo is forever, most marketing decisions aren’t and the rewards can often be much more promising. The question he then begs is with higher benefits and lower risk, what are we waiting for?

There are now an overwhelming number of opportunities for marketers in the online realm and to say that things are quickly evolving is quite the understatement. So why are some companies still so slow to get their feet wet and dive in to things like social media (which may I add has been around for almost 10 years)? The potential to connect and engage in real time is significant and the best part is that mistakes are really just opportunities to learn, make changes and improve.

Online marketing is no tattoo, so no need to waste time. Ink your brand’s presence in the online space. It may only hurt a little but once mastered will be worth the while.