Redefining reach: Why it matters for your brand
Not all impressions are created equal. Discover why you should be paying attention to who sees your video ads—and how reach on Pinterest drives better results in viewability, coverage and engagement than other platforms.
‘Viewability is key, and not all impressions are created equal.’
Raphaël Pivert, Deputy Director – GroupM Data & Analytics France
As a marketer, you’re used to high-pressure situations
But this year, with major events postponed or cancelled and advertising budgets slashed, you’re feeling the squeeze in a whole new way. Doing more with less has become the norm – but video ads on Pinterest may give you the solution you need to do just that.
Viewability is key, and not all impressions are created equal. That’s why the Media Rating Council (MRC) redefined its Cross-Media Audience Measurement Standard. The new guidelines state that for a video to be considered viewable, at least 50% of the ad content must be visible on the screen for at least two seconds and viewed by a real person.
On Pinterest, there’s a natural alignment between what people are there to find (ideas and inspiration) and what advertisers are there to do (help them act on that inspiration). That's why view rates for Pinterest video ads are three times higher than those of the other mobile platforms.1
Advertisers want to attract an engaged audience. Pinterest has that in spades: Users are 1.4 times more likely to take a shopping-related action on Pinterest than users on other platforms.2 This means that, with the same frequency and budget, your video ad can have more of an impact than anywhere else.
How your ads are seen
How some providers report viewable impressions
How MRC-compliant providers report viewable impressions
Better results for advertisers rely on three things:
Reach real people more effectively
A proper understanding of reach is the foundation of all successful advertising campaigns. But the real question is whether your ads reach your target audience effectively, and what actual impact they have.
At Pinterest, we take ad viewability and its potential impact on brand perception very seriously. According to WPP, the view rate for video ads on Pinterest was three times better than the average for social media platforms. 3
Video is leading the way
Pinterest’s measurement team also partnered with Kantar’s Brand Lift Insights solution to measure the viewable reach of video ads on the platform. After analysing 42 campaign across France, Spain, Germany and the UK, the results ranged from 54% to 99% with an average of 82%. This means that for more than 8 out of 10 people reached by the campaign, 50% of the video was in view and played for at least two seconds at least once.
Reach the right people
The power of Pinterest comes straight from our audience—that’s what makes it so unique for marketers.
It’s where people plan for their personal lives
Pinterest is personal media, not social media. It’s where people plan for their future, not post pictures from their past. And when they plan, they start their searches early. When they’re still undecided on what they want and are looking for inspiration to help guide them as they start to make their decisions.
It’s where people take action early
This unique mindset is enforced by the fact that 97% of the top searches on Pinterest are unbranded.4 That means that people come looking for something in particular but not a brand in particular—yet. Which means you could be the brand that reaches them first.
It’s where people spend more, more often
With 17 million monthly unique viewers in France, a lot of different kinds of people are on Pinterest.5 But they do have some things in common: They tend to have higher incomes and they plan, spend and buy more than on other platforms.6
You have the opportunity to put relevant content in front of this engaged audience, increase consideration and influence purchase decisions. Because reaching people where they are most attentive and action-oriented is more important than simply trying to reach as many people as possible.
Reach your target audience as effectively as possible
Reach and frequency go hand in hand when it comes to media planning and buying—reach delivers the audience while frequency repeatedly exposes that audience to the ad.
But reach and frequency are two sides of the same coin. Advertisers want their target audience to see their ad as many times as it takes for them to make a decision. But how many times is enough? It all depends on the platform.8
On Pinterest, it’s easier to reach a higher percentage of your target audience with the same budget. With international user growth at 30% year on year and a favourable auction dynamic for advertisers, Pinterest offers you a real opportunity to improve your engagement, even for target audiences where there is a lot of competition. Plus, other platforms don’t have Pinterest’s uniquely engaged, action-oriented audience. To recap, users on Pinterest are 1.4 times more likely to take a shopping-related action than users on other platforms.9
That means your ad can run at the same frequency and with the same budget but reach a more engaged audience and drive more impact than other platforms.
What this means for you
Reach will continue to be a key driver of campaign effectiveness. But not all reach is created equal. As audience consumption changes, marketers need to know not only where their video ads were seen, but whether or not they had an impact on the consumer journey.
Pinterest partners with Kantar’s Brand Lift Insights solution to go beyond traditional metrics like impressions and views and start measuring the incremental impact that ads can have now on brand metrics such as awareness, consideration and intent.
Instead of aiming to reach as many people as possible, consider what moves the needle: attention and engagement. Consumers come to Pinterest with a unique mindset. They’re seeking inspiration, full of intent and ready to take action. It’s simple: Ad spend will go further where your audience is most engaged.
People on Pinterest are future-thinkers who use the platform to plan and look forward—and your content could be just what they’re looking for. Reach them here first, before the competition, and be the solution that they need.
There’s never been a better time to advertise on Pinterest