By Jennifer Walker, MSL London

Pinterest cake | Courtesy: ShardsOfBlue on Flickr

How does a brand stand out from the competition and own the conversation with its audience, when everyone is creating engaging and visually stunning content? Well, it isn’t necessarily about the content that is created – a successful campaign is defined by how the brand uses it and how the consumer receives it, and then shares it.

When sharing new and exciting content with its audience, a brand can choose from its own website, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest, to name just a few platforms, to get it out there. But most of these platforms have incredibly fast content decay – if, as a Cartier follower, you weren’t monitoring your Twitter feed the moment it launched its L’Odysee de Cartier film, you might well have missed it.

Influencing & Targeting

It goes without saying – the more people, especially influencers, who share the content and keep it current and above the page break, the greater the chance of it being seen by and having an impact on the target audience.

Take Pinterest – the online pinboard launched in March 2010 – it’s a perfect platform for brands to share rich media content, not only to its faithful followers but with all 11.7 million (according to Comscore) of Pinterest’s users.

With a goal of “connecting everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting”, Pinterest was specifically designed to make sharing content as easily as possible. And it’s here that it can provide a brand access to a predominantly female, 18-54 audience (Read more: Mashable).

Adding Context

Pinned to a branded ‘board’, the content can be placed into the desired context – an image of a Victoria Secret bikini pinned onto its own ‘One Fabulous Summer’ board means it will appear at the top of the homepage of its 12,907 followers.

If one of those followers ‘repins’ the content to their own ‘holiday essentials’ or perhaps even ‘wedding list ideas’ boards, then the content will feature at the top of all their friends and followers homepage too.

When permission of the brand’s board is opened, allowing followers to pin to it as well as the brand, a comprehensive mood board develops. This illustrates what the target audience thinks and feels about the brand and the product, what they associate with the brand and what they think about the theme of the board and the product within it. Be it the perfect kitchen, birthday party or recipe for dinner.

Media & Pinterest

Media outlets are also now using Pinterest as another portal to share their favourite products, trends and celebrities with their readers. Grazia Daily , UK’s weekly glossy magazine, currently has 29 boards on its Pinterest page showcasing everything from trench-coats to nail varnishes, and hairstyles to nude heels.

What’s more, if the content is pinned directly from the brand’s website, it will link back allowing Pinterest users to purchase the product or sign up for more information in just a few clicks.

Still Early Days

It is still very early days for brands using Pinterest as a marketing tool and to know if it will provide the exciting possibilities it looks like it will. Brands will need to perfect the careful balance between visible branding and shareable content to be successful – if the branding is too strong or obvious, this will put followers off.

Will we see model Miranda Kerr pinning a picture of herself in a Victoria Secret’s bikini to her own holiday board? Probably. Will we see an ill-advised ‘ACME’s board featuring only their own products? Hopefully not!

Whatever happens, we shall be watching with (p)interest!

Originally posted on MSL London Blog.

Head over to MSLGROUP’s Pinterest page. Our favourite board? “Together Works Better“