Case Study: Chobani on Pinterest

You may not get excited about a visit to the grocery store, but people are getting excited about this grocery item on Pinterest. With over 4,000 followers and growing, Chobani has figured out how to use Pinterest to their advantage and it’s not all about just posting recipes (though there are some great recipes!). Let’s take a look at how Chobani has used Pinterest to become one of the most popular visual brands on the newest social media fad.

Chobani’s quick success on Pinterest hasn’t gone unnoticed. Recently seen speaking at a Social Media event at High Road’s Toronto office, featured on Ragan’s PR Daily, Beneath the Brand (a branding site), AdWeek, and Fast Company, Chobani’s use of Pinterest is wowing people in PR, branding, digital, advertising, and marketing. So, what makes Chobani’s use of Pinterest so wildly successful?

First, let’s take a look at what Chobani’s Pinterest page looks like. Chobani’s Pinterest page features 20 different Pinboards that include anything from quotes to workout inspiration to recipes and Instagram photos.

Among their 20 pages, Chobani features 868 pins at the time of this post and 13 likes. Although it’s not possible to see total number of re-pins from our perspective (which is a flaw with Pinterest, in my mind), the top righthand side of the screen shows a running commentary on the most recent people to re-pin Chobani’s images.

Chobani’s Pinterest page is managed by digital communications manager, Emily Schildt. She states that Chobani has seven things they keep in mind while managing their social media, including Pinterest. These includes posting things that allow people to discover new things, showing off all the core values of Chobani, micro-targetting their customer, making sure that you don’t go overboard with creating Pinboards, sharing openly, being responsive, and pinning hopes, dreams, and goals that align with Chobani. These are discussed more in the previously mentioned post on Fast Company (here).

What impresses me most about Chobani’s use of Pinterest is how well they know their customer. They are one of the very few brands I follow on Pinterest and their pins often grab my attention more than even my close friends. They have tuned into their customers so much that even the home and kitchen decor they post, which seems far from the actual product of Chobani, catches my eye. I am also impressed with how valuable following Chobani has been for me. I have learned many uses of yogurt in cooking and baking that I never knew existed…and oftentimes it is the healthy alternative!

Through mouthwatering pictures and branching out from their product, Chobani has used Pinterest to become more than just a brand. They have become a friend to their customer, sharing the same hopes, goals, desires, dreams, and tastes.

Duh. Pinning.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1st, 2012, our #ADPR4300 class welcomed Marquette University Senior Communication Specialist, Tim Cigelske as a guest speaker in our classroom. Cigelske is the main guy behind Marquette’s Twitter account (@MarquetteU), which has become one of the top ten universities Twitter handles in the country. If that doesn’t convince you that this guy is worth listening to, he is also a Marathon/Half Marathon running coach for the American Cancer Society, a writer for DRAFT Magazine, the founder and web administrator of Teecycle.org, and a freelance journalist/writer. If you ever thought you were busy, meeting @TeecycleTim will make you think twice about that notion.

Another thing this can make one think twice about is how to portray a multi-faceted person via social media. While social media is an important business tool, we often learn to use it by using it personally. For many of us who are looking for a job or will soon be looking for a job, this becomes something that requires careful attention. While Facebook and Twitter, two of the social media giants, do allow one to shape a personality using what they have to offer, that personality is often either very focused or very comprehensive, missing the middle, balanced category.

And someone noticed. Introducing, as deemed by Cigelske, the next big thing….Pinterest! Pinterest can be thought of as an online pin board or a visual bookmarking source. Members are able to create and name as many boards as they want. They can then pin pictures from other sites onto each board and the pictures will link to that website. So, if I have a “Recipes” board and I find a great recipe on AllRecipes.com, I can click on the toolbar “Pin It” button, select which picture I want to show up on Pinterest, leave a short caption, and pin it to my board. When I sign into Pinterest, I will be able to see that picture and click on it to take me back to that recipe.

As I mentioned, Pinterest is also a new social media giant where people (and businesses) are allowed to show a multi-faceted personality. By perusing my personal Pinterest boards, one can learn that I like to cook, what my decoration style is, that I am crafty, that I care about working out, my personal style, my career aspirations, and my beliefs. This allows people, especially potential employers, to get a more comprehensive view of who I am and what I stand for. By using Pinterest as a source of information for who I am, companies are able to make a more informed judgment of whether or not I am a good personality match for their organization. This is incredibly important in terms of reducing turnover. If I fit seamlessly into the organization, I am more likely to uphold the company’s values and mission and be happy working there. This cuts back on turnover costs, which include costs of recruiting and selection, training, vacant territories or accounts, skill differential and operating costs.*

Pinterest, the “next big thing”, clearly brings something to the table that hasn’t been there before. A visual representation of a multi-faceted personality for you or your company. Since its inception in January of 2011, Pinterest has gained over 7 million unique visitors. Maybe it is time to consider jumping on the bandwagon and showing future employers all sides of who you are.

* There’s research to support these claims. Just let me know if you want more information and we can get into it!