Weekly Digital Roundup (8.26.13)

This week, we see brands making further forays into the social front by providing special access or added utility for its users. Whether granting sneak peeks to product collections or doorways to higher education, each story covers a unique addition to our ever-evolving digital world. Without further ado, here’s what we found to be the biggest news, so you may comfortably remain snuggled under a rock.

Hollywood and Vines

Now’s your chance to live out your dream of being a star filmmaker. Airbnb has teamed up with San Francisco-based ad agency Mullen to create their latest campaign “Hollywood and Vines.” The mission is to create a movie about travel entirely out of 6-second Vine clips. Airbnb will tweet out shot-by-shot frames for users to then record and post their videos using the hashtag #AirbnbHV and the scene number. We can’t wait to see the final film premier on the Sundance Channel!

Speaking of the video-sharing app, Vine turns the big 4-0! 40 million users, that is. That’s a jump by 27 million in just two and a half months. Read more on how it continues to grow, here.

A New Kind of Catwalk

The pintastic social network has become quite the fashionista. In recent months, brands have started releasing exclusive collections and pre-sales through their Pinterest pages; but J.Crew has gone where no fashion brand has gone before—releasing its entire fall line on Pinterest first. More than 65,000 followers were able to view and purchase the fall line before the catalog was mailed to subscribers. This is a step in the right direction for Pinterest, whose plans are to become a shopping catalyst for brands.

LinkedIn Caters to Colleges

Choosing the right college can be a daunting task for high school students, but LinkedIn is lending a helping hand. The professional social network just announced its newest addition—LinkedIn University Pages. Starting September 13, students in the U.S. aged 14 and up can sign up for a LinkedIn account and interact with schools of interest. On the page, students may explore a university’s network of alumni and students, ask questions about the institution, and explore career paths of recent graduates.

Doing Social Good

Facebook’s on a mission to bring Internet to the world. This week, Facebook announced an effort called Internet.org, which aims to drastically cut the cost of delivering basic Internet services on mobile phones in developing countries. The social network has teamed up with tech giants Samsung, Nokia, Qualcomm, and Ericsson to make this dream a possibility. Let’s hope for a reality.

Point, U.S. Open

Tennis fans at the U.S. Open can share their tweets with the rest of the world. The Open has constructed a gigantic 50-feet-by-8-feet social media wall that will display posts by fans, players, and the public in real time by using the hashtag #USopen. That’s one heck of a serve.

Now go out there and come up with the next best idea. Until next week!