Snickers
+6.9pt sales uplift proves Pinterest can drive in-store purchases.
Goal
Proving that online advertising drives real-world sales has always been key for marketers—especially for impulse purchases like chocolate bars. When someone scrolls past a Snickers ad on their phone, will they actually grab one at the checkout counter later?
Snickers wanted to crack this code. The brand needed hard evidence that their Pinterest advertising wasn't just generating clicks and engagement, but was actually helping to drive people to buy their products in stores. They chose Pinterest specifically because the platform reaches people during high-intent moments—when they're actively planning trips, searching for travel inspiration, and saving ideas for their next adventure.
Strategy
In order to measure Pinterest's true offline impact in stores, Snickers conducted a strategic test. They tried two different approaches across Australia: casting a wide net with "all adults" targeting in most states, versus zeroing in on "travel engagers" in NSW. These became their "exposed cells"—areas where Pinterest ads were running. To make sure their data was accurate, they left Western Australia as a control cell, not running any ads there at all.
The creative strategy was equally targeted. Snickers developed creative with messaging tailored to the travel target audience. This included "Should've packed a Snickers" messaging that spoke directly to relatable travel moments. These ads hit people right when they were planning experiences where a Snickers bar would actually solve a problem. Combined with Pinterest Performance+ targeting that leveraged visual search technology, this approach ensured the right message reached the right people at exactly the right moment.
"
We were thrilled by the outstanding results Pinterest delivered for Snickers. Not only did our campaign achieve a remarkable 1.6X ROI in offline sales, but we also saw a +6.9pt sales uplift in NSW. Achieving double the industry benchmark proved that Pinterest’s high-intent audience and inspirational platform can drive meaningful offline sales growth."
Bianca Werkmeister
Portfolio Marketing Director - Bars, Mars Wrigley
Results
The results proved that Pinterest ads can help drive in-store purchases—not just clicks. Even in a high impulse category like confectionery.
Snickers saw a +6.9 point sales uplift in NSW, which was double the Circana Confectionary benchmark.¹ Snickers also achieved an average 1.6X ROI in offline sales across the country using the two-pronged targeting approach.¹
Not to mention, sales kept growing after the campaign ended, with a +9.9% post-campaign boost showing that Pinterest's ads have staying power.1 Both broad and targeted approaches delivered strong results, showing that Pinterest can have an impact regardless of how specific your targeting gets.
1.6X
ROI in offline sales, average across Australia using the x2 pronged targeting approach1
+6.9pt
sales uplift in NSW, 2x higher than Circana Confectionary benchmark1
+9.9%
sales increase post-campaign1
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