Something Pinteresting is happening and Marketers are paying close attention to this engaging platform. Pinterest drives more referral traffic than Google Plus, LinkedIn and YouTube combined, according to Shareaholic’s Referral Traffic Report. These latest findings are based on aggregated data from more than 200,000 publishers that reach more than 260 million unique monthly visitors each month. In her recent post, Hannah discusses the fast-growing and wide-spread popularity of Pinterest and how this visually engaging platform is an excellent use for brands to connect with their audience.
Kate Spade recently launched their brand on Pinterest and represents a perfect example of a brand that is leading the pack in realizing that Pinterest is an attractive opportunity, particular in connecting with women. When Kate Spade was established in 1993, the handbag maker’s target audience were 40-year-old, suburban mothers who loved “vibrant bags with classic lines.” Today, this focus has shifted towards a younger and global demographic, as exemplified by the fresh, vibrant and modern design and aesthetic of the brand. Kate Spade was successful in repositioning their brand not only because they updated their products, but also because of their use of social media, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to reach this new, younger target market. Now, they’ve ventured into the world of Pinterest.
Instead of purely pinning products that Kate Spade sells, the strategy behind the brand’s marketing is to use the platform in the same way that their consumers do. Kate Spade uses Pinterest to pin inspiring pictures that fit well with the brand, thus acting as a public mood board for the brand. A mood board is simply a collage of related images that marketers often use internally while preparing for campaigns or a new design in order for the team to gain inspiration and visualize what the end product should be like and get a feel for the emotions the product should evoke.
Here are some examples of these pretty pictures:
When asked what the business objective behind this move was, Johanna Murphy, Kate Spade’s VP of Ecommerce confirmed that the strategy was purely to establish brand presence: “It’s for presence. It’s to communicate our brand: who we are, what we believe in, that’s it. And I believe that those who will succeed in Pinterest, from a brand perspective, will take that attitude because if you go up there and start just pinning your own stuff, without having the mood and the spirit of the community, you know, you’re going to turn people off.”
Sources:
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-kate-spade-uses-pinterest-for-marketing-2012-2#ixzz1m9Ag24Yp
http://pinterest.com/katespadeny/
Such a great post – it ties in with and expands the idea behind my post very nicely!
I definitely agree with the idea of building a community or a “backstory” as I mentioned on my post. Showcasing the mood board and inspiration behind a brand takes connecting with consumers to a personal level, and that is something I feel is all the more critically important in today’s world.
Thanks for the read!
Great post! Your post caught my eye because Kate Spade was also one of the first Pinterest boards I stumbled upon. At first I thought it was something unique to them but little did I know the Pinterest madness wave was just beginning. I also did a similar post on Pinterest but comparing it to Fancy – a similar social scrap booking site that has found a way to actually monetize what people are pinning. What do you think the future of Pinterest is going to look like?
Personally I am very scared to start Pinterest and have been consciously avoiding it…