social media marketing 3 | SunMatrix Ramble

Pinterest 2012: Early Brand Campaigns

Pinterest is one of the most talked about and fastest growing social networks of 2012. What makes this social site different from the others is its pinboard-styled social photo sharing feature that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections.

Since it is still very new, a lot of major brands do not know what to make of it. However, a couple have already found creative ways to exploit the potential of the new social media destination.

Why the native loop matters

In early-stage social platforms, the first campaigns that win tend to be the ones that treat the platform’s native behavior, pinning, collecting, repinning, as the mechanic, not as an afterthought. The native loop, the repeatable cycle of pinning, repinning, and collecting, is what makes participation feel like curation instead of work.

In global consumer brands and agencies, early pilots work best when the platform’s native loop is the unit of design, not a channel to paste old formats into.

The real question is whether your idea makes the platform’s default action rewarding before you add any media spend.

Brands should ship only what is native-first, and skip anything that needs heavy explanation to feel like it belongs.

Four early Pinterest plays worth studying

Women’s Inspiration Day by Kotex

In Israel, Kotex reportedly identified 50 inspiring women and looked at what they were pinning on Pinterest, then sent them virtual gifts. If they re-pinned the gift, Kotex would send a real gift by mail. Smoyz, the agency behind the effort, claims nearly 100% of the women posted something about their gift, not only on Pinterest, but on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Puzzle by Peugeot Panama

Peugeot Panama ran a contest that awarded fans who completed their Pinterest puzzle. The brand’s Pinterest presence featured images of cars running over two or more boards. In each case, a board was missing. To get the missing pieces, fans had to go to Peugeot Panama’s website to find and complete the full image set.

Color Me Inspired by Guess

Guess challenged its fans to create boards based on four spring colors: Noir Teal, Hot House Orange, Red Hot Overdue and New Plum Light. Participants were asked to title their boards as “Guess My Color Inspiration” and pin at least five images, each tagged with #GUESScolor, in them. Four winners were then chosen by fashion bloggers Kristina Bazan of Kayture, Michelle Koesnadi of Glisters and Blisters, Jennifer Rand of Belle De Couture and Samantha Hutchinson of Could I Have That.

Pinterest Lottery by British Midland International

British airline “bmi” launched a game of chance to engage its fans. With “Pinterest Lottery”, bmi encouraged fans to re-pin up to six images of its travel destinations Beirut, Dublin, Marrakech, Moscow, Nice, London and Edinburgh. At the end of each week, the company chose a number at random, and users who had re-pinned the image with that number qualified for a chance to win a free return flight.

What these early campaigns get right

These ideas differ in execution, but they all turn Pinterest behavior into a simple loop you can complete and share.

Extractable takeaway: When a platform is new, design around the action people repeat, then let the reward validate the behavior, not the other way around.

They make “repin” the action, not the decoration. The platform behavior is the participation mechanic.
They reward curation. People are not asked to broadcast. They are asked to build a board that reflects taste.
They turn visuals into utility. Gifts, missing puzzle pieces, color palettes, destination boards. Each idea uses images as a system, not as wallpaper.

Rules for your first Pinterest test

Start with one native behavior. Make it do the heavy lifting, then build the incentive around it.
Design for identity, not reach. Boards are self-expression. Campaigns that respect that feel less like ads.
Keep the rules explainable. If the mechanic cannot be retold in one sentence, participation drops.

A few fast answers before you act

What made Pinterest feel different from other networks in 2012?

Its core object was a curated pinboard. People collected and organized images by theme, which made self-expression look like curation rather than status updates.

What is the common pattern across these early brand campaigns?

They use Pinterest’s native loop. Pin, repin, collect, complete, as the interaction, then attach a reward or outcome to it.

Why did Kotex’s approach travel well?

Because the output was personal and “worth pinning”. The gift reflected what someone had already revealed about themselves through their boards.

Why do puzzle and lottery mechanics fit Pinterest?

Because Pinterest already feels like collecting. Turning boards into completion tasks or numbered sets makes the platform behavior feel like a game, not a campaign.

What is the biggest risk when brands jump onto a new platform too early?

Forcing old formats into new behaviors. If the campaign does not feel native to how people already use the platform, it gets ignored or mocked.

KLM: Fly2Miami Dance Party

In the past couple of years, airlines like KLM, SAS, Lufthansa and Air China have pushed social media beyond “posting and promoting” by turning it into a stage for real-world moments.

In its Fly2Miami campaign, KLM creates a wave of buzz by hosting a record-billed, meaning promoted as record-setting, in-flight dance party at 35,000 feet, tied to the launch of a new non-stop route from Amsterdam to Miami.

A route announcement that becomes a public challenge

It starts with KLM announcing the new service. Dutch DJ Seid van Riel and producer Wilco Jung tweet KLM asking if the inaugural flight can move up by a week so they can make a Miami music festival. KLM replies with a challenge: fill the plane, and KLM will reschedule. The flight sells out within hours.

How the mechanic works

Mechanically, KLM turns a scheduling request into a participatory social goal with a clear payoff. People do not just “like” the announcement. They help unlock the outcome by committing to seats, then join a one-off experience that can only happen because the flight exists.

In airline route launches, social stunts work best when they turn a schedule announcement into a shared story people can join.

Why it lands

The genius is not the party alone. It is the sequence: a believable trigger (a tweet), a public condition (fill the plane), a fast-resolution arc (sold out), then a payoff that photographs and travels. It works because the public condition turns individual bookings into visible momentum, making the payoff feel earned rather than bought. The campaign makes KLM feel responsive, playful, and culturally plugged in, without needing to shout about fares.

Extractable takeaway: When the condition is public and the payoff is inseparable from the product, participation becomes both demand and distribution, because people feel they helped make the outcome real.

What KLM is really buying

This is conversion disguised as entertainment. The “buzz” is a byproduct of a very practical outcome: a plane filled with the right kind of passengers, at the right time, with a story worth retelling. The real question is whether your stunt pulls demand forward inside the product, or just borrows attention for a day. By “retellability,” I mean how easily the story can be repeated accurately in one sentence and shared without extra explanation. If the Guinness claim is how it was billed, that label simply amplifies the retellability.

Route-launch moves worth copying

Start with a real trigger. A genuine request beats a manufactured “activation” premise.
Set one public condition. A simple target (fill the plane) creates momentum and accountability.
Make the payoff inseparable from the product. The experience must only be possible because your product exists.
Design for a tight story arc. Setup, challenge, resolution, payoff. No fluff.

A few fast answers before you act

What is Fly2Miami in one line?

A route launch turned into a Twitter-fueled “fill the plane” challenge, culminating in an in-flight dance party on the inaugural Amsterdam to Miami service.

What is the core mechanism?

A public conditional promise: if the community fills the flight fast enough, KLM changes the schedule and delivers a one-off onboard experience.

Why is the “sold out in hours” detail important?

Because it proves participation was real, not symbolic. It converts attention into bookings, then turns the bookings into a story.

What makes the challenge believable?

A condition that is simple to verify and directly tied to the product, like filling seats, keeps the story grounded and prevents it from feeling like a manufactured “activation.”

What is the transferable lesson for other brands?

Turn a product moment into a challenge with a clear condition and a tangible payoff, then let the audience do the distribution by earning the outcome.

KLM: Tile & Inspire

KLM and Delft Blue tiles. Delft Blue is the iconic Dutch blue-and-white ceramic style. Used for centuries to decorate homes. Are as Dutch as they come.

In its Tile & Inspire campaign, KLM challenges Facebook fans to convert their profile picture into a Delft Blue tile with an inspiring message. The most inspiring “Dutch Delft Blue tiles” are then placed on the body of a KLM Boeing 777-200.

To participate visit www.tileyourself.com.

From profile picture to Delftware

The hook is instantly legible: take something people already have. A profile photo. Wrap it in a national craft aesthetic. Then add a short line that turns a face into a statement. It is personal, cultural, and easy to share without feeling like a hard sell.

How the campaign works

Mechanically, fans generate tiles through a simple creation flow, then submit an inspiring message for consideration. KLM curates the strongest entries and applies them as exterior artwork on the aircraft, turning user-generated content into a physical, public proof point.

In global airline marketing, turning heritage cues into participatory social formats helps tactical brand storytelling feel like culture instead of promotion.

The real question is whether you can make participation feel culturally “true” and publicly scarce at the same time.

Why it earns attention

This lands because it flips the normal ad relationship. The audience is not asked to look at a brand asset. The audience is offered the chance to become the asset. That shift changes the emotional posture from “they are selling to me” to “I can be part of this.” This is a stronger use of social media than a typical brand post because it gives people a role, not just a view.

Extractable takeaway: If you want people to share, turn identity into a simple creation act, then attach it to a public outcome that feels earned.

What the multilingual judging adds

The campaign is open to anyone, and the inspirational messages for the plane are judged across multiple languages, including Chinese, Dutch, English, German, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, French, and Spanish. The practical impact is reach. It invites participation without forcing people to write in one “official” language.

Borrow this Delftware participation pattern

Make participation visible in the real world. Digital submissions feel more meaningful when the outcome is physical and public.
Use heritage as a design system. A recognizable cultural style can unify thousands of user-generated assets.
Keep the creation task simple. One image plus one line is enough to unlock mass participation.
Curate for quality, not volume. The plane is the ultimate constraint. It forces a brand-level edit.

A few fast answers before you act

What is KLM Tile & Inspire in one line?

A social campaign where people turn their profile photo into a Delft Blue tile with an inspiring message, and selected tiles appear on the exterior of a KLM Boeing 777-200.

Why use Delft Blue tiles specifically?

They are a culturally recognizable Dutch craft cue that instantly signals “KLM as the Dutch airline”, while giving user-generated portraits a consistent visual system.

What is the main behavior the campaign is driving?

Creation and sharing. A quick make-and-post flow that converts fans into contributors, and contributors into distribution.

What is the transferable lesson for other brands?

If you want scale, reduce the creation task to one simple input and one short statement, then reward participation with a highly visible, real-world outcome.

What would you use if you cannot put UGC on a plane?

Pick any scarce, public surface that feels earned (a product edition, packaging, a storefront, an event backdrop), and make the selection rule clear so participation feels legitimate.