Waitrose
Waitrose took a savvy approach to their holiday campaign. They embraced data-driven insights and experimented with creative ad formats like Premiere Spotlight and Quiz ads. Their full-funnel strategy proved that upper-funnel ads have a positive impact on lower-funnel conversions, highlighting the importance of a multi-format, multi-objective approach.
The scent of cinnamon lingers in the air, fairy lights twinkle and the familiar sound of holiday tunes fills stores. For grocery brands, it's a season of excitement and fierce competition. Waitrose knew that standing out required a strategy as carefully crafted as their signature mince pies.
Like many grocery brands, Waitrose invested in holiday creative to make a big awareness splash. But they charted their own course when they turned to Pinterest to guide shoppers from the spark of inspiration to the pleasure of purchase.
6.1%
sales lift1
7.6%
increase in checkout lift1
33%
checkout lift from Carousel1
The Waitrose strategy kicked off with a bang—a Premiere Spotlight takeover, using an adapted version of their TV ad. Premiere Spotlight put their festive offerings front and centre, capturing the attention of Pinterest users hungry for holiday inspiration.
By sustaining their campaign throughout the season, Waitrose amplified the effectiveness of their other formats. The initial Premiere Spotlight created a halo effect – Carousel, Quiz, Collection and Shopping ads resonated even more strongly due to the established brand awareness. This strategic timing and format selection solidified Waitrose's position as a destination for holiday inspiration and high quality food.
"By implementing a full-funnel strategy on Pinterest, we connected with shoppers throughout their holiday journey. Our multi-format campaign allowed us to inspire, inform, and drive action, leading to outstanding results."
Emily Lowery
Senior Paid Social Marketing Manager, Waitrose
Waitrose savoured a successful festive season thanks to their campaign that helped drive a sales lift of 6.1%1. The impact was evident across the entire marketing funnel, with a 7.6% incremental checkout1.
But the success went beyond just overall numbers. Each format played a distinct role in helping to boost brand awareness. The Collection format truly shone, achieving the highest incremental lift in ad recall at a whopping +4.7 percentage points (ppts), while Premiere Spotlight also drove a strong incremental of +3.5ppts2.
The campaign resonated particularly well with shoppers aged 35 and above. The 35-49 age group saw a 2.6ppts lift in ad recall and a 9% lift in checkouts2. Shoppers aged 50-64 also responded positively, showing a +2.4ppts lift in ad recall2.
Tips for your next campaign
Try these Pinterest best practices to help get more out of your ads.
Take advantage of the holidays on Pinterest — our community gets excited about the season, and they’re primed to purchase.
Embrace data-driven experimentation. Waitrose’s exact formula may not work for everyone, so look for ways to explore ad formats, targeting options and creative practices.
Focus across the funnel. While the Waitrose campaign aimed to increase awareness, it also used formats that could help drive sales. The lower funnel was impacted by the upper funnel, showing the importance of multi-format and objective advertising.