Capital One Opens Up 12 Days of Pinterest

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Capital One has launched a 12-day, instant-win holiday promotion that lets followers browse and buy gifts while getting closer to the brand.

While enticing people to shop with Capital One partners is a no-brainer, the real of the goal is to attract followers so that the brand can build a deeper connection, according to Mike Darne, Capital One senior director of social media.

"We were looking to learn more about the platform," Darne said. Capital One has been using Pinterest for a few months, and RGA, its digital agency, suggested the holiday tie-in. "We’re trying to figure out Pinterest and how it works, what resonates with people, what they will do on the platform and how they will engage with the brand," he said.

The campaign, conceived by RGA, turns the Capital One profile page into a calendar with daily themes, from "the gift of comfort" to "the gift of winter escape." Each board will include the opportunity to win instant rewards, plus an array of themed gift ideas.

The promotion features shoportunities and prizes from Capital One retail partners including Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman-Marcus, Best Buy and Kohl’s. On the final day of the promotion, one person will win a prize valued at $4,500. Visitors also will be able to click through to partners' retail sites to buy merchandise, as well as purchase Capital One-provided gift cards for use with the retailers.

The entire promotion was put together in three weeks, according to Darne. Because of the quick turnaround, his team was unable to push buttons, links or other information about it through Capital One's digital channels. But the financial services company's Facebook page now features the campaign, and Twitter will get the word out in the next week.

Capital One is using a Pinterest analytics package to do some basic tracking, but the real metric of the campaign is simply followers, Darne said. "We want to establish a following on Pinterest. Without that, we won't be able to test content later. As we look at it, it's first, build a following, and second, better understand what content resonates with people."

Pinterest could hold promise, Darne thinks, for helping the Capital One brand become more than a way to buy stuff. "This provides us with opportunity to go deeper on how people think about us. We're not just about the commercials or the statements you receive in the mail," he said. "We want to add depth to the brand and get deeper into the things our customer care about, and provide content around that."