“Pin It To Win It” contests haven’t just gotten popular on Pinterest because of that catchy rhyme. People like the potential of digital pins turning into real possessions.
So can a “Pin It To Give It” campaign, aimed at philanthropy, be equally successful?
That’s what beauty brand Elizabeth Arden thinks. On Wednesday, the brand’s Pinterest page launched a new board, #PinItToGiveIt, in hopes that pinners will help make a difference in the lives of women with cancer.
For each item on the board that users repin with #PinItToGiveIt in the caption, Elizabeth Arden will donate a tube of eyeliner to Look Better Feel Better, one of its charitable partners.
“The role that cosmetics play in the lives of women affected by cancer is really medicine for the soul,” says Francine Gingras, vice president of global public relations for Elizabeth Arden. “Color is critical and Pinterest gives users the ability to share colorful imagery, making it a natural fit for our Pin It To Give It program.”
Gingras hopes to give out the maximum amount of 10,000 eyeliners, which means she needs pinners to repin 10,000 Elizabeth Arden images.
But will pinners be as enthusiastic for a “Pin It To Give It” contest as for a “Pin It To Win It,” a contest in which pinning an item means potentially earning it?
Pinterest history says yes. Mashable reports this is the first “Pin It To Give It” contest, but it is by no means the first charitable cause promoted on Pinterest.
Far from being a purely consumerist platform, Pinterest has a wealth of brands that already use it for activism, advocacy, and awareness. For example, Jennifer Stauss Windrum’s lung cancer board, WTF? [Where’s the funding] 4 Lung Cancer, is the backbone of her campaign to raise money and awareness of the disease.
Pinterest also fuels political causes. Even though Pinterest staff did not protest the Stop Online Piracy Act, pinners did. Think Progress’s pinboards have raised awareness for causes as diverse as the case of Trayvon Martin to Mitt Romney’s luxury hotel spending.
Pinners aren’t just shopaholics. They support a variety of causes with their pins. Elizabeth Arden’s “Pin It To Give It” campaign is just the latest in a long line of good deeds.
Photo via #PinItToGiveIt