Archive for the ‘social media’ Category

Gatsby’s American Dream Meets Pinterest

 Written by Tom Cioni, vice president

This weekend, one my favorite American novels “The Great Gatsby” turned up on my new favorite place for ideas, Pinterest.

Actually, I didn’t find the connection – Pinterest knew my interests and sent me a picture of a letter written by F. Scott Fitzgerald to his daughter, when she was 11-years-old showing a list of things “To Worry About” and “NOT to Worry About.” The list is quite telling, showing how much drive and ambition the author possessed, even when writing to his daughter.

Of course, I quickly pinned the picture to my “Books I Love” board.

This simple iPhone transaction renewed my faith in social media to remain relevant to my life. I was a junior in college when I first read The Great Gatsby and it made a huge impact on my life then and has continued to over the years.

The fact that The Great Gatsby is back in the spotlight on Pinterest and on TV and at the theaters is no surprise to me. The Great Gatsby is a hugely significant novel and has enduring relevancy, in many areas of American life, consider:

  • List making: Fitzgerald’s letter (see the Pin) to his daughter, shows he shared list making as a planning tool with his character, Gatsby. In the book, we saw how Gatsby made lists to plan out his goals in business and celebrity. To me, as a young person starting his life, the fact that Gatsby the millionaire playboy made lists was cool. I’ve never stopped.
  • American Dream: The Great Gatsby’s often regarded a cautionary tale of the American Dream, it has great lessons about America nonetheless. A decade of booming business , the glitter of New York City, a Midwestern kid goes east to make it big – these are all relevant now like they were then.
  • Jay Gatsby: The Great Gatsby himself is a larger-than-life character, who embodies the American Dream. He’s self-made man with a mysterious past who dazzles as bright as New York City. His character would now fit in into many Hollywood dramas, and already has as Don Draper on Mad Men.

One of the most amazing qualities of Fitzgerald’s novel is not its ability to stand the test of time, but to outlive its cinematic adaptations. The story has been restaged on television and film now five times and according to various reviewers, some of them haven’t been that good. It’s probably time to see the movie and see how this iteration turned out.

Here’s to hoping it lives up to its fan hype on Pinterest!

 

Pinterest Sparks Online Traffic

A newcomer to social media, Pinterest is quickly gaining popularity among its users. The online pinboard allows users to pin their favorite products to their own personal boards to bookmark and share with other Pinterest users. Not only is it a great way for consumers to keep track of their favorite things, it is becoming a great resource for companies to connect with consumers as well as direct traffic to their website. Here are some reasons why Pinterest could be a great asset to your company’s social media:



Consumer generated recommendations: According to Socialnomics.com, 78 percent of consumers trust peer recommendations while only 14 percent trust advertisements. Getting users to recommend your product can be a difficult task for businesses. Pinterest helps users share their favorite products and interests in a quick, easy and visually appealing way. The site even offers the option to post to Facebook and Twitter, giving businesses more exposures through other social media sites. It is proving to be a great way for users to connect with brands and increase brand loyalty.

Drives traffic to your site: The  way Pinterest works is it allows users to ‘pin’ things they find on the web or from other Pinterest user boards. Users can then ‘repin’ them on their own boards for others to follow. The pin is linked to a business’s website, allowing the user to click the photo and be taken back to the original website — where they can purchase the item or browse more items on the site. Pinterest is helping businesses drive traffic to their websites and generate brand awareness.

Pin it!: Soon, right alongside the Tweet and Facebook share buttons businesses will be offering the option to pin on all of their products. One company, Land’s End has already kicked off this trend. For the holidays, the company launched a campaign and contest using Pinterest called “Pin it to Win it.” The contest is building brand awareness for their sub brand, Canvas, and offers another way to share products socially and for users to connect with brands. Other big name companies like Old Navy and Target are using Pinterest to promote their products. Other niche companies like ASOS and Ruche are using the site to gain brand awareness.

Pinterest is another avenue that allows users to influence the popularity of brands. Start exploring what Pinterest can do for your company.