Problem
• Read the SMM Case-Study for Morrea Seal below, and read Chapter 3 from the Tuten & Solomon textbook
• Browse Moorea Seal's social presence on Pinterest.
Case Study:
Brand/Background: MOOREA SEAL is a Seattle-based author, retailer, designer, and online curator who is known for her large following on Pinterest and mental health advocacy. With a desire to empower and uplift people of all ages, she promotes a lifestyle of "do good, do great."
Problem: Moorea was hit extremely hard by the economic collapse in 2009. Her online store was near the brink of closing. Her business was quite diversified as she did blogging, graphic design, jewelry-making, music, and even nannying. There was so much to cover about her brand and no real way to show her audience what she was really about.
Solution: Pinterest seemed the perfect outlet for her business. She shared her story in a blogging format and by utilizing Pinterest's various topical boards was able to get business for all of her endeavors. She was also able to connect in real-time with customers and form relationships with them. It was during this time that the idea of brands being associated with a specific kind of lifestyle or value was on the rise, which helped tremendously in making her business stand out.
Results: As of June 2020, her online store has been running with great success as her page gets thousands of hits a day. Her Pinterest account boasts nearly 1,000,000 followers. She grew her business from working on her own to presently having over 40 employees and earning over 6 million in total revenue.
Task
• The "two-step flow model of influence suggests that influence can be driven by both influencers and by interactions among those who are easily influenced. These people communicate the information vigorously to one another and also participate in a two-way dialogue with the opinion leader as part of an influence network" (pp. 84-88). Based on your analysis of entrepreneur Moorea Seal's branding success on Pinterest, can you call her an influencer or opinion leader? Why?
• Influencers or opinion leaders are said to have 6 bases of social power. Name them. Which kinds of influencer power do you believe Moorea Seal holds for her Pinterest followers/consumers?