Pinterest is testing promoted pins, as the social bookmarking site expands into advertising for the first time. The format borrows from an concept developed at Facebook and Twitter, charging advertisers to place content that is integrated with the photos of cakes and dresses already on users’ pinboards, rather than isolated ads or pop-ups. The plans […]
Pinterest is testing promoted pins, as the social bookmarking site expands into advertising for the first time.
The format borrows from an concept developed at Facebook and Twitter, charging advertisers to place content that is integrated with the photos of cakes and dresses already on users’ pinboards, rather than isolated ads or pop-ups.
The plans were revealed by Pinterest CEO Ben Silbermann in an e-mail to users, explaining how the social network will experiment by promoting just a handful of pins in search results and category feeds.
Pinterest’s first test will promote pins in search results, so a person who searches the site for “Halloween” ideas will see a promoted pin from a costume shop for a Darth Vader outfit.
“For example, a pin for a Darth Vader outfit from a costume shop might be promoted in a search for ‘Halloween.’ Nobody’s paying for anything yet—we want to see how things go, and, more than anything, hear what you think,” Silbermann wrote in the e-mail, which was later posted to Pinterest’s blog under the heading, “Planning for the Future.”
In his e-mail, Silbermann said: “I know some of you may be thinking, ‘Oh great…here come the banner ads.’ But we’re determined to not let that happen.”
Pinterest is incredibly popular with retailers, both as a forum for displaying their wares and as a tool for finding out what’s popular with shoppers.
Analysis
Micke Paqvalén, CEO and Founder, Kiosked commented: “There is continuing speculation about whether Pinterest can change the future of social commerce but the absence of a solid monetisation strategy had always suggested that the platform wasn’t going to manage it. Pinterest’s decision to experiment with promoted pins is welcome news and could certainly secure a long-lasting presence in retail for the brand. With so many consumers using their mobile devices to browse new trends and share products on-the-go, Pinterest’s growth in mobile traffic holds huge potential to tap into the consumer need for convenient shopping experiences that are built for on-the-go and image-led content. The advertising experience that Pinterest chooses to champion will be key to its future longevity and it will be imperative that monetisation doesn’t drive away the existing user base. If advertising is too intrusive, some Pinterest users could be turned off so it’s vital that site makes the experience as seamless and convenient as possible. A good way to do this is through ‘smart content’ which gives site owners the ability to turn any online content into a storefront, providing the ingredients for effortless and impulsive shopping, where products can be purchased with one-click. Because Pinterest is completely image and video-led, it has the potential to be the perfect social shopping tool.”
Read the offical blog announcement here
