Don’t sacrifice your brand values for performance

Gone are the days when people ignore the environment in which your ad appears. They want a more inspired internet and they’re seeking out positivity in online spaces. And that’s good news for advertisers. Because inspirational environments don't just spark ideas. They move people towards decisions—purchase decisions.

It's fair to say that inspiration may feel like a buzzword when you hear it from other social media platforms, but here's why we know it delivers results: it's connected to trust. Pinterest has always been the inspiration platform, and we've worked hard to maintain that spirit through the critical choices we’ve made around proactive policies.

Without a trusted online environment where positive behaviours and inspiration can thrive, you cannot reach people effectively. It's all connected to decision making; how people make choices that lead them to the try, the buy and the next idea. Here’s what we found.

Inspiration is more than a nice-to-have

A recent study with Nielsen surveyed 9,000 consumers across seven markets (including the UK, France and Germany), and nearly half of the people we spoke to said that an online space devoted to inspiration is more important now than ever before.¹

Given what the last two years have looked like for society at large, that tracks. 

But that’s not all. Nielsen also discovered that Pinterest ranks number one in inspiration amongst all our competitor platforms—and not just on the internet.¹ We rank ahead of magazines, TV shows, and all other online media giants.

Surprised? We’re not. At Pinterest we work to deliberately create a safe and inspirational environment, for both people and for brands. In fact, 8 out of 10 people say Pinterest is a place where they feel positive.² Nine in 10 call it an online oasis.² Only 3 in 10 say that about social media competitors.²

Inspirational platforms drive decisions

Inspiration matters for your audience. It should matter for your brand, too. Nielsen’s research revealed that inspiration isn’t just an “aha” moment or a spark—when people feel inspired, they’re also more likely to act.

Here’s the thing: People might not know exactly what they’re looking for when they come to Pinterest, but they know it when they see it. That’s why 97% of the top searches on Pinterest are unbranded.³ Because people come to plan and do but they haven’t yet made up their mind about what to buy—they want to be inspired by the ideas they find.

And as it turns out, Pinterest drives 10x higher branded searches off-platform.⁴ That means they come without a brand in mind but they leave with a decision. There’s a trigger moment that happens on Pinterest. It takes people from inspiration to realisation, actually helping them to make up their mind.

Inspiration can deliver a high ROI

Your audience isn’t coming to Pinterest to hunt for likes, or see what everyone else is doing. They’re looking for inspiration and ready to take action. But don’t just take our word for it. A Nielsen analysis of CPG campaigns in the US and UK (specifically food, and health and beauty) discovered that Pinterest delivers 32% higher ROAS than other digital platforms.⁴

Moreover, brands in these categories have an opportunity to generate incremental sales on Pinterest. Whereas ads on other paid social channels are nearing saturation point, which could mean diminishing returns for advertisers, the average saturation level on Pinterest is just 25%, so there’s more chance of ads gaining traction and impressions.⁴

Not convinced? Nielsen’s analysis found that when brands shifted just 5% of their paid social or digital spend to Pinterest, they increased that budget’s ROAS by 2% and saw a 1% lift in net revenue driven by media.⁴ Which shows that advertisers can increase efficiency and results simply by shifting their ad spend. 

The message is clear: Don’t sacrifice your brand values for performance. It’s no longer just a moralistic argument. Our research proves that when ads show up in inspirational environments like Pinterest, they can drive meaningful results. So whether you’re building brand awareness, consumer trust or driving conversions, the decisions you make today, decide tomorrow. Let’s build a different kind of internet.

You've read the proof, now watch our CMO Andréa Mallard (skip to 49:54) explain how inspiration impacts your bottom line.