It is this image-based searching that has caught the attention of the media pundits, but while Pinterest appears to be the perfect place to share cake recipes and hairstyle ideas, it’s difficult to see how Pinterest can play a meaningful part in any brand strategy. A few brands have experimented with sites like Instagram or Flickr, but only on a small scale. Beyond a few online-guerrilla art projects, or perhaps the odd treasure hunt, it’s tricky to see exactly how brands can take part in the Pinterest experience.

The ethos of Pinterest is “organise and share the things you love”, which is fine as it goes - although I can’t really imagine a world where people want to see the things that Coca-Cola loves, no matter how organised. The only real value for brands lies in using Pinterest as a route to direct people to a more useful online destination.

Again, this is fine, but in real terms it means that alongside the pictures of wedding cake and braided hair, branded messaging will appear dotted about the site in a scenario of banner advertising by stealth. I always like to translate my online social activity to a real world scenario. In this case Pinterest is just a scrap book of things that I like. I’m not sure how I would feel about opening my scrapbook one day to find that Pepsi and Starbucks had stuck Post-it notes all over it.

But before I sound like I’m on a Pinterest downer, what are the practical ways that brands can get involved, without being annoying?

Beyond directing traffic, one of the most obvious ways through product purchase. If online retailers, everyone from Amazon to iTunes, were to include a Pinterest “I’ve just bought this” tag at the end of a transaction, a brand could find itself a space on the board courtesy of its consumers, who are frankly a lot more useful than ‘fans’.