By the way, the NET-A-PORTER Karl fashion app also features a contest tasking users with finding five Karl heads in a monochrome maze, while they can also get ‘Karlified’ by snapping a photo of themselves and giving it the Lagerfeld look.

Right now, it’s Karl’s world…

The social media site has taken off in the US – the sixtieth-most-visited site, according to Hitwise – with some 17 million visitors, the majority of them women (70%). According to comScore, “social content-sharing site Pinterest’s global engagement measures skyrocketed in 2011, showing a dramatic 512% increase over the course of six months”.

That kind of reach has already attracted a number of brands on the look-out for social media marketing opportunities.

In December, Lands’ End launched its Lands’ End Canvas Pin It To Win It contest, tasking people with creating a pinboard of their favourite branded goods.

“Lands’ End Canvas is continually looking for new communication channels and opportunities to introduce customers to the brand, as well as engage with our current customers in unique and exciting ways,” says Michele Casper, director of public relations, Lands’ End Canvas. “Pinterest is the intersection of style and social and is a natural, visual platform to showcase the lifestyle and relevant appeal of Lands’ End Canvas.”

And Universal Pictures is marking its 100th anniversary in 2012 with a yearlong celebration of the studio’s film history. As part of the festivities, Universal’s Pinterest account is drawing on fashion inspiration from films such as The Breakfast Club, Scarface, Sixteen Candles, Bridget Jones’s Diary and Bridesmaids.

First up is Chicago-based Yawn, with the cameras in tow as they prepare to journey from the Midwest to the East Coast.

Oh, and this lady considers herself a savvy shopper who actively seeks out the best prices.

What’s it all about? Well, the sportswear brand is in cahoots with fitness programming outfit CrossFit, and the red-with-a white-delta containers are serving as mobile CrossFit gyms complete with equipment for a 15-person WOD (Workout Of The Day), to encourage people to experience ‘The Sport of Fitness’ for the first time.

“There is a shift happening today in the fitness world that is born from the idea that fitness can be a sport – with all the elements that we love about traditional sports. CrossFit is leading this shift,” said Reebok president Uli Becker. “At Reebok, we believe that fitness can be as exciting and engaging as any sport. In 2012, we are helping deliver this message to the world in a compelling, powerful way.”

The brand is supporting CrossFit’s fitness programme and the CrossFit community via a number of initiatives and activities including sponsoring The 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games, Reebok CrossFit box openings and a footwear and apparel collection.

“Smartphones open up a whole new world for consumers, giving them the ability to search for the store closest to them or even compare prices of specific products while in-store,” the report says. “Bricks-and-mortar retail locations were once a bubble for consumers, who became a captive audience once inside the doors, but with the advent of smartphones, consumers can pull information, compare prices or solicit opinions from beyond the store walls.

In October 2011, nearly 22% of mobile users in those five European markets took a picture of the product while in a retail store, making it the most popular e-commerce related activity. A significant percentage of smartphone users in retail stores also texted or called friends or family about a product (14.9%). New technologies also gained traction with European smartphone users, with 6% scanning a QR code in-store.

“The overall European audience for QR or barcodes was considerably larger than for in-store, as codes can not only be scanned while in a retail store but also at home, at work, on public transport or even while dining in a restaurant. The highest penetration of QR code users was in Germany, with nearly 15% making use of this emerging technology in October 2011.”

“Levi’s is looking for new faces from around the world,” the brand says. “Individuals who go forth every day with a sense of purpose and an open heart. The new Levi’s collection was designed with you in mind and we’d like you to represent it.

“That’s why we’re casting on Instagram. It could be you, it could be someone you know, it could be someone you’d like to know. Submit your photos today and show us the face of the Levi’s collection.”