It would appear that I have been posting a lot about Pelikan’s social media projects lately, a sign of just how active the company has been on this front.  Much of the impetus behind Pelikan’s recent campaigns seems to be focused squarely on bringing people together.  Whether your passion is for writing, drawing, ink, or fine writings instruments themselves, the company has really focused on social interaction and the concept of community.  Perhaps more so than most other manufacturers of similar products, Pelikan has adopted and taken a real lead in the use of social media.  It’s an interesting dichotomy to see a fountain pen, its roots firmly planted over a century ago, married to the latest technology of today.  You may not be aware but past efforts have included Pelikan Hubs (#pelikanhubs), a project that physically brought people from cities across the globe together on June 13, 2014 to interact and share their experiences in person as well as online.  Another initiative has been Being Pelikan (#beingPelikan), a campaign that saw several users get the honor of hijacking Pelikan’s Instagram account with their own flock of pictures.  More recently we have been invited to share in the journey and chronicles of the ‘big blue boxes’ that have carried the Wanderlust (#wanderlust) and now Wanderbox (#wanderbox) projects around the globe.  A post on the company’s Facebook account yesterday, highlighted one of their newest efforts, #PelikanEverywhere.

This initiative seems to be built around the concept that Pelikan’s offerings cover a diverse range of products for home, school, or office use.  If I had to pick a tag line, it is that, “Pelikan accompanies you for a lifetime.”  To celebrate this, they are encouraging people to take a photo of the Pelikan products that they have in the home or at work and post them online.  Photos can be uploaded to Instagram or directly via Pelikan’s Facebook channel tagged with #PelikanEverywhere.  Participants are free to use filters and make the photos look however they please.  Along with the photo, a short story about the product is encouraged.  The only thing that the company asks is that you use a geotag as they have a map of the world that they would like to fill with the photographs.  This map will provide everyone with a chance to view the digital submissions of analog items.  To add some more fun and interactivity to the project, Pelikan will be giving away prizes to several lucky participants.

Every month, a Pelikan jury will choose what they deem to be the four best photos from that month’s submissions.  Those photos will then be placed on their Facebook channel and the photo that garners the most likes will win.  The fine print says that the closing date for each month’s submissions is by midnight on the last evening of that month.  The contest is anticipated to run until December 31, 2015.  The chosen winner will receive a Pelikan product set while the three runner-ups will get a Pelikan pen set.  More details and conditions can be found here.

The Facebook submission form that allows you to upload your photo to a world map and enter into the prize competition

My personal take on this is that I applaud Pelikan’s efforts to try to unite their fan base.  One of the greatest enjoyments of this hobby that I have found is the interaction with other members of the community.  I have met many wonderful and interesting people from so many different walks of life, all united by their passion for writing and writing instruments.  The Pelikan products are well crafted and inspire a dedicated following.  This digital treatment can only serve to heighten awareness and foster more interaction in the community.  I for one look forward to see what others will submit and wish everyone who does participate the best of luck at winning one of the promised prizes.  Will you be joining the project?  You can follow all of the above social media tags in one consolidated spot via Pelikan’s Walls.io account.