J.Crew's September Catalog on Pinterest

"Thanks!" to many of you, including ABC, Desert Flower, and dagmara, who let us know about the following article from Mashable (click here to read in its entirety):

J.Crew Debuts Fall Catalog on Pinterest
By Lauren Indvik
August 19, 2013J.Crew's at-home catalog subscribers won't be the first to glimpse the brand's September issue: That honor will fall for the first time to J.Crew's Pinterest followers on Monday morning.

It's a big move for a company that, until a year ago, didn't have a social media department, nor a Pinterest account. In fact, so far as we've aware, J.Crew is the first clothing brand to debut its catalog on the image-based network.J.Crew isn't the only apparel brand to choose social media over more traditional channels to introduce its lineup this fall: Late last month, Oscar de la Renta premiered its fall campaign via Instagram. And many brands now debut their print and TV campaigns on Facebook and YouTube, respectively.

In addition to the Pinterest promotion, J.Crew has a number of other digital initiatives scheduled for the coming weeks. The next installment in its short online film series, this one on monogramming, will debut Aug. 21. The company will also be using Instagram to promote its next once again keep a "Fashion Week Diary" on Tumblr, giving followers a glimpse of model castings, hair and makeup run-throughs and other preparations for the show. 

I am not sure what to think of this. Don't get me wrong, it seems like a fine move given the popularity of Pinterest. (Click here for J.Crew on Pinterest.) And of course, it's always nice to get to see images of the catalog early.

However, posting the Fall catalog on their website (in a timely manner), in addition to a hard copy (in my mailbox please!), seems sufficient enough for me. But maybe I am too old school when it comes to this.

What are your thoughts on J.Crew's use of social media? Do you think posting the catalog on Pinterest is a smart move?