After reading all of the hoopla about Pinterest and its various marketing purposes, here is what I have taken away:

1 – Pinterest is not just helpful to retailers.

• Basically like a Twitter in image form, the main function of Pinterest is to refer users to original websites and blogs. There are any number of images that can be posted and no rules saying it has to be of a product. 

2 - Pinterest is not useless for B2B.

• Similar to what I stated above, the image can be of anything. Company party, scene at the office–ad agencies are full of creative types who enjoy photography. Ask any one of them to take a photo capturing the corporate culture of the office and you’ll have something meaningful and more viral than some dress or bracelet in minutes.

3 - Don’t forget the caption.

• You can always include a caption with your pin and, you always should. Especially when you pin as a B2B person, your photos will most likely need an explanation anyway, and even if they don’t, that’s a missed opportunity for influence right there.

4 – ABC: Always Be Converting

• Don’t let your love of the artsy photo cause you to forget why you pinned in the first place. You’re a marketer, and as a marketer your goal online should always be to convert leads. Pinterest is great for driving traffic to a website or blog, but it doesn’t just end there! The source page from that pin better have some serious attempts at conversion, otherwise all you accomplished was increased web traffic. 

5 - Please, Please, Don’t Waste Your Time

• Like I said, Pinterest is great for driving traffic to websites and blogs, but don’t spend inordinate amounts of time jumping on the bandwagon just because Pinterest is the popular website of the moment. Really, you should only make an attempt at this if if solves a problem that already exists (i.e., driving traffic to a conversion page).

However, there are also quite a few jerks who harass the poor souls who don’t have the time to memorize every proper use of each meme. Anyway, most of what I saw on this page was the bad and the ugly (aside from the extremely funny).

The good that I have seen on internet culture has definitely been on Pinterest. It is one of the few sites where I have hardly seen any negativity or arguments at all, and more than anything, it’s greatest use is the sharing of good ideas. Considering its popularity is fairly recent compared to the other leading social networks, it made me wonder how long this blissful positivity can last. I guess we’ll find out soon enough….

While to most of us frequent social media users this was a funny little way of explaining the function of each social media platform, it actually probably only makes sense to those of us who have ever actually visited these sites, and, more than that, each little donut line tells more than meets the eye.

While Twitter is technically dominated by hash tags, the better point to take away from I’m eating a #donut is that Twitter is all about the present, the here and now, and the rapid-fire updates.

My favorite and most telling one, however, is G+. When google plus first came out I promised to post updates about my reviews of it as a network, however, I really never did mostly because it never really became a social network. Just as the photo says, “I’m a google employee who eats donuts.”

While I breifly touched on this topic during the whole “carriage makers” thing back in the summer, I realized that the railroad story is much more relevant. Especially in the ad business, it is very easy to get caught up in the details and forget who you’re really working for. Even at an agency, the customer is ultimately the end user. As the business has changed and moved more and more to digital, one of the biggest mistakes made by agencies was that they constantly thought of themselves as in the ad business, when, especially now, they are not anymore.

As it becomes easier to market to the individual, we move further away from the ad business and closer towards the people business. Even Michael Scott, the doof from Dunder Mifflin who didn’t really seem to know much about business, got the idea. All along he knew he wasn’t in the paper business, he was in the people business. While the following quote may seem stupid to some, I have always found it poetically appealing to hope. Michael was just told Dunder Mifflin would be going out of business, and in angry denial he responds, “People will never go out of business.”

1) PARTS OF YOUR E-MAIL ARE IN ALL CAPS.

-Look, we get it. What you have to say is important. But when you type in all caps, you give your readers the impression that you’re yelling. LOUDLY. Emboldening and underlining are there for a reason.

2)  12:01am – Updating your status too frequently.      12:03am – Updating your status even more frequently.

-Look, we get it. Your life involves events. That’s great. But your entire Facebook community or followers on Twitter don’t necessarily need to know about it.  And if you’re a blogger, I’m sure that every post you create is a real winner, but spread the wealth over time.

3)  January 1st, 2012: I will write every day!       March 22nd, 2013: Whoops…. (not updating enough)

-Look, we get it. Updating is difficult. It requires thinking and work at the same time. But if you’re really dedicated you can do it. I promise. If I can, anyone can.

4) February 15th, 2012: On the way to the hospital…just went into LABOR!!! (oversharing)

-Look, we get it.

5)   Carl: Your baby is so cute!    Debbie: …who are you again? (creepin)

-Sometimes, it’s hard to resist jumping into someone’s conversation or photo album. But if the person you’re creepin on will feel uncomfortable about you posting something, should you really even be Facebook friends with him/her?

6) Not hitting “Reply All”

-Really unprofessional….but also just plain annoying.

7) And Finally….

Treat the Digital Landscape like the Dinner Table……

No religion or politics. A private e-mail is different, but these days what you post online is typically directed to a large audience, not your most personal friends and family. Think before you type.

While researching my question I came across this lovely article, “Real Men Pay in Cash.” While the theory mentioned in the article about being confident that you can fight off a mugger is rather convincing, I’m not totally sure that is the whole reason. Instead, I found some suprisingly believable answers in online forums. One user said, “I used to never carry cash. I also used to have no concept of how fast I was spending money. Now I have no credit cards because I choose not to.  I pay cash for everything. I would see someone who pays cash as being financially responsible.”

We came up with a similar theory when we tracked our purchases in my consumer behavior class last semester. Many people claimed that they felt like they weren’t spending “real money” when they swiped their cards at various merchants, and as an attempt to remedy this they started paying with cash saying that it is “more difficult to let it go.” But why is this specific to men? I welcome input from any of you out there.

More than anything I am interested in researching (and predicting) just how technology and the digital landscape can benefit the advertising industry. Products like the ones that are revealed at CES just blow my mind. Many of the electronics that are described as being some of the most popular are inventions that I wouldn’t even think that I could need until they describe their functions. While everyone would need a waterproof phone, who would think you’d need  a specific tablet just for cooking? My plans for the near future are to continue updating myself on the CES and all of its glory.

How do most ad agencies react when a new fad makes an appearance? Knowing how important it is to keep their business strategies in line with current culture in society, the good ones usually hop on the bandwagon. While many are resistant to change, they view these new “fads” as viruses that are making their way into the world yet have no place in business. They, like me, sit around waiting to catch the virus without really taking any leaps themselves.

Social media is a great example of this because it is something that was so easily taken on by social culture. Yet, when it was introduced as a tool for business, especially marketers, the movement was met with resistance. The problem with viewing social culture and business so distinctly and separately is that business is driven by the social aspects of people–and always has been.

Instead of popping vitamin C pills and warding off the digital virus, it is important that agencies understand the importance of adaptation and, more importantly, how to design and implement change (which is likely the biggest problem. Many agencies know they need to change but they don’t know where to start). There are many ways of learning to get everyone on board and direct change, but first, you have to want it.

This got us to thinking…certain establishments know that particular items are necessary to an experience, such as coffee at breakfast, popcorn at the movies, or alcohol at a retaurant. It’s not just that they mark them up because they want a larger profit, but simply because they know the experience you are looking for wouldn’t be complete without said mark up. When we go out to eat, we aren’t really looking for just a good meal, but rather a fun experience where we can relax, socialize, and fill our stomachs. Especially given the way in which some people view going out to eat, it is important to understand that many can’t even put a specific value on that experience at all. Hmm…

Well, the store owner’s wife traditionally made gooey butter cake every Christmas and was nice enough to share some with us. Intrigued by both the name and the delicious flavor of gooey butter cake, I was reading the other day about the history of the treat. Many try to take credit for this sugary delight, but my favorite is the story that the cake was supposedly first made by accident in the 1930s by a St. Louis-area German American baker who was trying to make regular cake batter but reversed the proportions of sugar and flour. Whether you are eating fruit or gorging on treats this holiday season, make time for gooey butter cake. Trust me, it’s worth it.