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Pinterest

July 2013

Colonizing the Web’s insPiRAtion PlAtfoRm

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anner ads are passing away without so much as a eulogy. Good riddance. The clickthrough rates on banners have been abysmal since the beginning of the internet. Pinterest is here now, offering a similar aesthetic – an image, some text, and the chance to click through – but to a far more engaged audience. The platform is already attracting huge numbers of users, approaching 50 million around the world, and reached 10 million monthly unique visitors faster than any independent site in history. People are going to Pinterest for the sole purpose of being inspired. They’re seeking visual stimuli, and willingly clicking on the things they find interesting. Visual marketing on Pinterest fits the context, and the behavior everyone on the platform is familiar with. Since any product-related content is identical to non-marketing content, the rates of sharing and clicking through on brand posts are just as high as non-branded content.

And it doesn’t stop at clicks. Pinterest is a conversion machine. Sephora has reported that customers who follow the brand’s Pinterest page spend 15 times more on Sephora products than the average Sephora Facebook fan*. So the user base may be smaller than other networks, but they certainly pull their weight.

Welcome to the world of opt-in advertising

*Source: http://www.digiday.com/brands/5-brands-winning-at-pinterest/

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t’s important to understand exactly how the user experiences Pinterest in order to understand how people will find your brand page. Users will most often navigate to your brand’s boards through re-pins from other users, by actively searching for related content, or by scrolling through the related content on another board (i.e. “People who pinned this also pinned”). These illustrations demonstrate how a user sees Pinterest, and how the typical pathways to brand discovery look. Note the emphasis on related content, which helps keep users engaged with a steady stream of targeted pins.

The Pinterest user experience is designed to favor discovery and sharing.

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The home screen displays recent imagery from any Pinterest accounts or boards that the user has followed.

As you can see, Pins have a standard width, but the height can vary.

What does a user’s Pinterest space look like?

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What are the methods of discovering new content?

Users are also offered related boards to browse beneath every pin.

Aside from scrolling through her personal feed of followed content, the user can discover content

one of three ways. The first is a simple keyword search on the home screen, pictured above.

Lastly, just below the related boards on any pin are the suggested pins – a huge board of content pinned by users who also interacted

with the page.

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When viewing a board or individual pin, you may repin, like, visit the linked website, send to another Pinterest

user or share via Facebook, Twitter or embedding.

When repinning, the user can add a personal caption, which replaces the caption of the original user when the pin is

displayed on the new user’s board. The website behind the image always remains when an image is repinned.

How do users interact with content and repin back to their own boards?

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efining yourself through social activity is a big part of any social network, whether that means 140 characters on Twitter or a square photograph of your homemade chili on Instagram. On Pinterest, the way for users to build their digital personalities is by curating boards of products and imagery that they want, or want to be associated with. This is where the inspiration comes in – users spend their time looking at and interacting with items that move them in some way. They aspire to have or to be associated with the things they pin.

If a user has been inspired by a pin featuring a product, then it’s safe to say the hard work of convincing a customer that they want that product is already done. It should come as no surprise that on average Pinterest traffic spent 60% more money on discovered items than did traffic coming from Facebook. Pinterest traffic converted to a sale 22% more than Facebook traffic.*

Pinterest traffic converted to a sale 22% more than Facebook traffic

*http://readwrite.com/2013/04/17/social-networking-for-marketers-pinterest-crushes-facebook-infographic#awesm=~ocDRhX0aiZbHQy

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Top 5 Motivations For Using Pinterest

1. A source for creative ideas 76%

2.Exposes me to new things 69%3.Provides ideas for specific occasions (e.g., wedding, holidays, etc.) 67%4.Helps me to organize things in my life that I am passionate about 57%5.Is a form of entertainment for me 50%

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1. A source for creative ideas 76%

2.Exposes me to new things 69%3.Provides ideas for specific occasions (e.g., wedding, holidays, etc.) 67%4.Helps me to organize things in my life that I am passionate about 57%5.Is a form of entertainment for me 50%

Facebook

Of note: excluding Twitter, women felt stronger than men about nearly all motivations across the social media properties.

The motivations of Pinterest users are quite different from other social sharing sites.

Twitter

Instagram

1. An effective way of sharing information because most people I know are on the site 76%

2. Allows me to connect with people who I wouldn’t normally be in touch with 76%

1. Can follow celebrities/public figures who I may not know in person 60%

2. Provides quick updates 51%

1. Ability to upload pictures I take 67%

2. A way to appreciate good photos/photography 62%

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2Mhome

Categories with the most repins

1.7Mrecipes

695Kfood

458Kwedding

392Kfashion

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57% of Pinterest users interact with

food related content

THE #1 CATEGORY OF CONTENT

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s of May 2013, 93% of all U.S. Pinterest users are female*. However, that isn’t to say that the platform itself can’t hold a male audience. In fact, reports in 2012 showed that Pinterest users in the U.K. are actually predominantly male, and brands like Mashable and Jetsetter that index well with both male a female audiences host some of the most popular boards on the site. But at least for now, Pinterest is dominated by women.

Attitudes toward brands are much more favorable on Pinterest, where 43% of people say they prefer to associate with retailers or brands, vs. just 24% on Facebook.

The demographics of Pinterest users are as unique as the interface.

http://mashable.com/2013/05/08/pinterest-most-popular-brand-boards/

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48.7Mnumbers of users globally

47.5%of users are married

4.75Mpeople follow L.L. Bean’s Woodland Creatures board, which is nearly 10% of total users

21-3037%

31-4023% 41-50

16%+5017%-20

11%

58/100of the top brands have an active Pinterest account

U.S monthly unique visitors faster than any independent site in history!

Pinterest hit

10 million

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60%

40%

Online consumers that have found an item they’ve bought or wanted to buy

Pinterest referrals spend

70% more money

than visitors referred from non-social channels

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93% of Pinterest users are WOMEN

while

50% of Pinterest users

have CHILDREN

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Great branded content comes from brands who understand why their product matters

n order to make a brand page into a Pinterest destination for users, the key is to host the type of content that has drawn users to the platform in the first place. Ideas and inspiration are the currency of Pinterest, so think about how your brand can offer that type of content. You don’t need to dilute your brand’s lifestyle message at all, just understand what that lifestyle message looks like as a series of pins. The platform rewards brands who can successfully compartmentalize their message into visually stimulating suggestions for how users can achieve that lifestyle.

Highlight the moments when your brand really matters to people. This should help your products seamlessly integrate into your Pins.

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What’s working for brands so far?here are a few recurring themes in the top boards on Pinterest, and they tend to align with the site’s female-skewing user base.

The following are a few examples of content that’s getting attention on the platform.

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DIY

Recipes and small DIY projects are a huge draw for the inspiration-

seeking crowd.

Etsy has earned about 250,000 repins from their “Yum! Recipes to

Share” board.

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There is only so much furniture that fits in one house, but there’s no limit

to the space on a Pinterest board.

Lowe’s has been extremely successful in this category as well with their “Time to Shine” board, pairing imagery of chic outdoor living spaces with

suggestions or useful product information.

Lifestyle imagery

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L.L. Bean claimed “cute” with their “Woodland Creatures” board

Jetsetter’s “Daily Moment of Zen” is a one-stop shop for beautiful and

exotic vacation settings.

Inspirational and emotional scenes These two boards are also the Top 2 most followed boards on Pinterest.

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The rest of the Top 5 most followed boards

Nordstrom – Garden Wedding Ideas: 4,199,549

Everyday Health – Joy Bauer: 3,761,427

Lowe’s – Build It!: 3,549,154

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Top 4 most repinned boards on Pinterest

Better Homes and Gardens – Blogger Recipes We Love: 1,021,643

Real Simple – Real Simple Finds: Recipes to Try: 289,908

Better Homes and Gardens – Blogger Faves From BHG.com: 444,215

Swarovski – Wedding Bliss: 253,296

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Pinterest Best Practicess the most popular boards have demonstrated, consistency and simplicity are key to making a board successful.

Here’s a quick guide to making the most of your investment in Pinterest, followed by two case studies – one of a branded Pinterest stunt, and another of a brand building a loyal following on the site.

Your BrandBuild a personality space for your brand that users can align themselves with through repinning.

Your BoardsFocus on the simplicity of deliverable, sustainability of content, and consistency within the board.

The more users know exactly what to expect, the more likely they’ll come back to see similar content.

Your PinsMake your product part of your post. Don’t just make a post about your product.

Keep the captions relevant. Treat them like a little bonus to the image – maybe a helpful or entertaining nugget of information

Use positive and beautiful imagery – things that people will want to claim for their own.

Your FollowersCreate content that adds depth to your followers’ virtual personalities by aligning them with your brand’s image.

Lowe’s Pinterest Strategy

STUDY

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Capitalizing on the interests of the regular Pinterest fan base, create boards that engage Pinterest users in their passion points. Home related content is already one of the most popular categories on Pinterest, so the real challenge for Lowe’s became making their home content more compelling than other brands and user generated content. The mix of DIY content and seasonal boards helps keep the page fresh and worth returning to for users at each login.

Create a Pinterest presence that inspires consumers to take on home improvement challenges with the help of Lowe’s.

Challenge

Results

Idea

Top Boards by Followers

Lowe’s Pinterest shows the depth of their brand identity at the same time that it showcases the retail offering of the store. Through inspirational pins that appeal to user interest in seasonal and holiday content, Lowe’s has been able to build one of the largest retail communities on the platform, which has helped to drive preference for their brand over competitors.

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• Build It!: 3,546,438

• Organize: Get to It: 83,479

• It’s Time to Shine: 83,057

• Craft Ideas: 83,023

• Noted as a top retailer brand on Pinterest, with over 3.5 million brand followers • Published the 5th most popular Pinterest board on the platform, “Build It!”, with over 3.5 million board followers • Continues to garner large scale engagement, surpassing top competitor engagement on Pinterest by nearly 9 times

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Build It! (3,567,985 followers): Lowe’s most popular board features DIY projects, often including the price of construction right on the description. Content is a mix of original Lowes.com projects and pins/repins from other websites.

Fix in Six (77,625 followers): Taking Lowe’s successful Vine campaign, this board translates the same helpful tips into pins. The images link to the original Vine content on the Fix in Six Tumblr, helping to grow Lowe’s digital ecosystem outside of Pinterest.

Time to Shine (81,972 followers): Showcases home outdoor spaces, with furniture, appliances and recipes that make those spaces special. All pins link to purchase or recipes on Lowes.com.

Emerald: 2013 Color of the Year (77,549 followers): Everything emerald green. It can be this simple. Mostly repinned, mixed with purchasable content from Lowes.com.

Examples from Lowe’s Top Pinboards

Campbell’s Kitchen The Most Colossal Casserole

STUDY

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In a first-of-its-kind Pinterest hack, Campbell’s transformed a Pinboard into a giant casserole and developed a way to let fans make it grow. Every time the recipe was repinned, Campbell’s would add another portion to the Pinterest board casserole. Each portion added also represented a dollar donated to Feeding America for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Thanksgiving is America’s biggest food-focused holiday. To drive more traffic to CampbellsKitchen.com during this time of year, the brand leveraged the world’s fastest growing recipe referral site - Pinterest.

• 250% increase in traffic on CampbellsKitchen.com

• Over a million new Green Bean Casserole recipe views

• The longest-scrolling food image in history

• Over 50 million impressions

• Over $10,000 donated to fight hunger over the holidays

Challenge

Results

Idea

In this first-of-its-kind Pinterest hack, Campbell’s turned a regular Pinboard into one crowd-sourced, almost endlessly scrolling casserole. With the help of Thanksgiving casserole fans, the brand created the longest scrolling food image in history and drove a ton of people back to the recipe website.

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WWW.BBDO.COMWWW.PROXIMITYWORLD.COMWWW.DIGITALLABBLOG.COM

WRITTEN BY Jack Leonard

EDITED BYZach PenteL

DESIGNED BYkathLeen hannaMeGhan MILLer

nInJa

For more information or business opportunities, please contact: Simon Bond, Chief Marketing Officer,

BBDO and Proximity WorldwideSimon.Bond@bbdo.com