Promoted Pins are unobtrusive for users but effective for marketers. Image: Pinterest
‘Our ambition is big’ says Pinterest’s Adele Cooper as Promoted Pins broadens its reach.
Pinterest’s advertising platform Promoted Pins is arriving in Ireland, Australia and New Zealand today (22 February) and major brands including Aer Lingus, Avoca and Tesco are on board.
Pinterest is a social media platform that lets users ‘pin’ items of interest from art to home décor, fashion, food, furniture, technology and more.
The company was started in 2009 by Ben Silbermann, Paul Sciarra and Evan Sharp, modelled on the idea of a scrapbook for things that you love and are influenced by.
More than 150m people worldwide use the site every month. 70m users are in the US and 80m are dotted around the world. In Ireland, about 200,000 ideas are saved every day across various categories.
Globally, Pinterest boasts more than 100bn ‘Pins’ and more than 2bn ‘Boards’. 80pc of users access the platform via a mobile device.
A very Pinteresting development
Adele Cooper, Pinterest UK and Ireland country manager. Image: Pinterest
‘I think Pinterest is a tool that can be used by everyone in the world. People make it work for the things they are passionate about and interested in’
– ADELE COOPER
Promoted Pins are Pinterest’s prime revenue model and are interwoven into the platform without interrupting the user.
As the Irish launch takes place, many brands have jumped on the Promoted Pins bandwagon, including Aer Lingus, Tesco Ireland, Jo Malone, Avoca, Superdry, Colourtrend, Daintree, The Ark (children’s theatre) and publisher Lost My Name.
In 2015, Irish woman Adele Cooper left Facebook to take up the role of head of Pinterest in London.
The Stanford and Harvard graduate told Siliconrepublic.com that when it comes to boots on the ground, Pinterest already employs 10 people in Dublin in a variety of roles, including account management, community operations and finance.
“We hope to grow our presence in Dublin over time,” she said.
The business end of the Pin
A Promoted Pin by Avoca on Pinterest. Image: Pinterest
Cooper said that Promoted Pins will be attractive to Irish businesses as a way to promote their goods.
“There are lots of Irish businesses already active on Pinterest organically and the arrival of Promoted Pins will enable them to reach consumers in an engaging and useful way.”
She added that users tend to shape Pinterest around life events, such as an upcoming wedding or home redecoration.
“Our biggest categories are food, fashion and home décor, and Promoted Pins enable brands to reach consumers at the earliest stage of planning.
“I think Pinterest is a tool that can be used by everyone in the world. People make it work for the things they are passionate about and interested in.
“What is great is that it is evolving, and we are seeing great activity in boards around subjects like graphic design, animation and more. It’s really a platform where you can discover content on anything you are passionate about.”
Cooper said that the Promoted Pins platform has been designed to make it easy for businesses to get up and running.
“Our ambition is big for Pinterest. At the moment, Promoted Pins are our focus for revenue that that might change over time,” she added.
