The Point: Today’s consumers have come to expect and demand personalised and inspiring experiences from brands. The question is: How will you deliver on that expectation? At Pinterest Presents, we showed you a vision for the future and explained how brands like yours can play a meaningful role.
Pinners watch nearly 1 billion videos a day1
As a marketer who’s moved from TV to digital and tech, the one constant throughout my career journey has been people. I still love this David Ogilvy quote: “People don't think how they feel, they don't say what they think and they don't do what they say.”
That was certainly true at the time he said it. However today, with trends and insights pulled from real-time searches at our fingertips, we can see consumers recognise what they want and expect from brands, from platforms and from experiences. Today’s consumer is savvy.
As an advertiser, there are lots of places where you can spend your energy. At Pinterest Presents on March 3rd, our first global advertiser summit, we showed you why that place should be Pinterest.
Because when ads appear on platforms that are set up for reading the news or interacting with friends, they can feel like an interruption. But on Pinterest, there’s a natural alignment between what consumers are there to do (get ideas and inspiration) and what advertisers are there to do (enable them to act on that inspiration). So naturally, ads stand out more when they fit in. That goes for video ads too. You may think you know Pinterest but did you know it’s already a video platform? Video is absolutely exploding on Pinterest and Pinners now watch just shy of one billion videos a day.
Video is just one feature we showcased at Pinterest Presents. Here are some other highlights that you need to keep top of mind as you plan for your brand’s future.
What identities are not being reflected in your campaigns, in front of and behind the camera?
Being diverse and inclusive matters
Sinéad Burke, founder and CEO of Tilting the Lens, is laser-focused on creating a truly inclusive society. During her session titled “Build a world with me,” her message to brands was simple: Ask yourself who’s not in the room.
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Asking who is not in the room and finding ways to bring those voices and perspectives to the table creates meaningful campaigns.”
Sinéad Burke, founder & CEO, Tilting the Lens
“Whose perspectives have not been considered and what identities are not being reflected in your campaigns, in front of and behind the camera? Asking who is not in the room and finding ways to bring those voices and perspectives to the table creates meaningful campaigns, accurate representation and better innovation in the products we design,” she said.
But we’ll only get there together. We worked with Sinéad to curate a board to get you started, filled with helpful resources and real stories.
As we heard from WPP’s Karen Blackett, creativity needs diversity and inclusion too. Unless the advertising industry celebrates difference in all its forms, we’ll carry on doing the same old things in the same old ways—and the old ways aren’t working for everybody. And certainly not for the audience you want to reach.
The online experience matters
How many times have you been stuck trying to figure out what to do with your home, what to buy for your loved ones or even for yourself?
E-commerce has always felt quite transactional but since the pandemic forced many retailers to close their doors and sell more online, a key part of the shopping experience has been lost. As Alex Loizou from Trouva put it when chatting to Steven Bartlett, co-founder of Social Chain, the Sunday stroll is missing the browsing experience.
The future of shopping combines the best of real-world browsing with the convenience of e-commerce.
It’s time to make shopping fun again: the ability to go from “I’m just looking” to “I’ve bought it” seamlessly. At Pinterest, we believe the future of shopping combines the best of real-world browsing with the convenience of e-commerce—and makes them better than ever.
This year you’ll see an even better shopping experience on Pinterest for both merchants and Pinners. That means improvements like better catalogue management tools, as well as automated bidding and budgeting solutions. And keep an eye on your analytics: Brand partners will get an enhanced conversion analysis dashboard to dig deeper into downstream conversions and better account for Pinterest’s cross-channel impact. Watch this space.
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It’s time to make shopping fun again: the ability to go from “I’m just looking” to “I’ve bought it” seamlessly.
Proactive policies matter
Eight in 10 people come to Pinterest to feel positive.2 But creating a place that’s positive—and inspiring—takes deliberate action. A platform doesn’t just become positive, it has to be engineered that way and that takes proactive policy decisions and clearly defined stances on what to limit and what to keep.
Pinterest has made some deliberate choices to ensure that positivity and inspiration are built into everything we do. For example, in 2017 we launched a health misinformation policy that blocks anti-vaccine content. In 2018, we stopped running political ads. And in 2019, we rolled out mental health resources for people searching for support.
Not only do we protect Pinners from harmful content, but we also provide them with personal experiences while they discover and shop. Like skin tone ranges, a feature for searching beauty ideas for your skin, and virtual try on, a way to test lipstick and eyeshadow products on your face. Inspiration starts with feeling seen in search results, in feeds and in products, so we’re helping more Pinners to see themselves. Because when your audience feels represented, they’re more likely to choose you, purchase from you and find your products faster.
Act on the insights
Amid so much uncertainty, the conversations we had at Pinterest Presents have never been as relevant, necessary and valuable as they are now. The bottom line is that positivity and inspiration are more important than ever, and inclusion isn’t just a moral decision anymore—it’s a business one.
So, as a marketer, if you decide to take away three things from this, I hope they are:
1.
Representation matters.
Advertisers need to create diverse and accessible ideas that represent everybody and find effective ways of presenting them. Consider how your ad will be interpreted by those with disabilities and adjust accordingly. Forge greater connections by going beyond traditional representations of race, ethnicity, body types, abilities, age and gender.
2.
Proactive policies matter.
EMarketer ranked us the second most trusted platform in 20203—and for good reason. We have deliberately and consciously engineered a place where positivity is built into everything that we do. Unless a company or platform fundamentally changes its rules around content moderation, people will continue to post harmful and divisive content.
3.
Make your mission your audience’s vision.
Your audience wants to see their values not just reflected in your marketing but also baked into your brand’s mission statement. This should tell them where you’re focused today and where you’re going tomorrow.