As Pinterest continues to grow in popularity, major brands are devising new and innovative ways to use the visual-based social media network to both engage their current fans and reach a new audience.
In an apparent first (and major shake-up), one major brand has used the network to roll out their fall catalogue to followers:
In addition to their traditional print catalog, J.Crew debuted their September looks on the official J.Crew Pinterest page!
With 70 million users as of June 2013, Pinterest has become a fantastic way to target a predominantly young, female population, as well as Midwestern women, a notoriously hard-to-reach demographic online.
Pinterest’s emphasis on high quality and artistic visuals lends itself perfectly to brands like J.Crew, which seek to publicize their original content across the web.
The announcement is billed as a “sneak peek” of the September Style Guide, and includes 55 pins featuring pieces from the new fall line.
Source: J.Crew
Why does this type of campaign have the potential for success?
1) Interactive Trumps Static Releases and Promotions
Shopping has become a social event – so how can you transform a static product release via printed catalogue into an interactive experience? By breaking their catalog down into highly sharable pieces, J.Crew has created a social experience for their followers. Fans are now able to share the pieces with their friends and write comments in real time, building buzz around the release.
2) Followers are Ready to Buy, Buy, Buy
As always, Pinterest provides brands with the opportunity to link back to an e-commerce site that sells the product. But in this case, the products aren’t available online yet. How does J.Crew still leverage the Pinterest click through rate? By linking to the personal stylist page on their website, and providing a fun blurb at the top of the page letting you know that you can pre-order the pieces or email member of the Very Personal Stylist team for help ordering. How exclusive!
This surprise twist of events has caught Pinterest by storm and woken up businesses everywhere. It remains to be seen just how successful J.Crew’s innovative use of Pinterest is, and whether other brands adopt similar marketing campaigns centered on Pinterest, but it’s safe to say they’ve made waves. In the meantime, the real question is – which color will you order the matte crepe drawstring pant in?
