I know many in our organization have enjoyed Seth Godin's writings. Today in his blog, he shares his point of view on the importance of voting and marketing to voters.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2012/11/why-vote-the-marketing-dynamics-of-apathy.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fsethsmainblog+%28Seth%27s+Blog%29&utm_content=Yahoo!+Mail

Enjoy.

And vote tomorrow, if you have not already!

For the last week, some brands have likely contemplated how they might be able to better utilize Instagram, which has roughly 30 million users, now that it's in the hands of Facebook. ClickZ reached out to a pair of early Instagram adopters, PepsiCo and Red Bull, to see what they've gleaned from using the app for marketing purposes in the last 12 to 15 months.

Since launching a South by Southwest Interactive campaign in 2011, Pepsi Max and Brisk marketers have tinkered with the platform.

"We use Instagram to humanize the brand and take people behind the curtains," Josh Karpf, PepsiCo's digital head, told ClickZ. "You can let them see things they wouldn't normally see, whether its photos of Drew Brees at the Super Bowl, Pepsi Max at the MLB Fan Cave, or [Nascar star] Jeff Gordon during a photo shoot. Clearly photo-sharing is something people are into. For brands, it's a lightweight way to connect with consumers."

Read the full article here: http://bit.ly/HLgsZc

Source: ClickZ.com

Another take on leveraging Pinterest:

Honda is launching a Pinterest-powered campaign offering top "pinners" $500 to take a 24-hour break from Pinterest. Participants are being encouraged to use the cash to visit places or buy products they've previously pinned. "We're just dipping our toes in the water here with our first campaign, but it will be a good opportunity to market some of our vehicle launches," social media manager Lauren Ebner said.

For the time being, the Honda CR-V will be a focus of "pins" the carmaker initiates, given it has a female-skewed demographic, much like Pinterest.

Yet very few automakers have a presence on Pinterest thus far, and even fewer have incorporated Pinterest into their marketing activitites at this point.

The most clever execution integrating the platform so far came from Peugeot in Panama, which last month ran a Pinterest-based competition to encourage followers on the site. On its page were puzzles depicting different car models, with pieces missing. People could find pieces at the Peugeot Panama Facebook page or website, pin them on their own boards and share it with Peugeot. Completed boards would win prizes.

Source: AdAge.com

http://bit.ly/IR46mZ