Case study As 2020 flipped routines and shopping habits on their heads, marketers were challenged to find new ways to inspire people to engage with brands that fit with their new lifestyle and mindset. The “new normal” comes without a playbook and has highlighted the value of insights showing real-time information on how people are planning their future cannot be underestimated.
We’ve seen the evidence of this at Pinterest where the percentage of users who visited places to shop on the platform grew more than 60% in the first half of 2020. Pinterest is unique as it’s a platform where people consciously come to plan their future rather than scrolling through posts about the past. Because Pinterest is grounded in the future, it gets an earlier indication of where consumers are headed, and can help brands better predict what’s to come for their category. This guidance is invaluable for brands and marketers as they look to plan for their future.
For instance, we saw a significant growth in use cases like ideas for cooking quickly and easily, crafts and lesson plans for kids, tips for growing vegetables, working from home and more during the early months of lockdown. Unsurprisingly, this is markedly different to ideas that people were looking for at the same time last year. It is crucial for brands and marketers to align their efforts with this customer behavior and adapt their messaging.
This inspired Pinterest to create Trend Badges as a new advertising solution for brands. With Trend Badges, advertisers have the opportunity to own a particular trend on Pinterest for the first time, giving them special authority and a ‘stamp of approval’ and the only brand to have the Trend Badges on Pins for the idea in that country. Trend Badges are an easy way for brands to inspire Pinterest users with the very ideas they are searching for with relevant, of-the-moment content.
Cadbury is among the first brands to use Pinterest Trend Badge to utilise consumer insights to better stand out and get in front of chocolate lovers in the UK right at the moment when they are searching for something sweet. They used insights from Pinterest to help create their exciting new series of Cadbury’s Freddo Treasures and became the first brand in the UK to have created a Trend Badge campaign from one of our space-themed Pinterest 100 trends. By using Pinterest’s insights, Cadbury were able to develop a whole campaign to reach chocoholics right when they are in the consideration mindset and looking to buy.
The 2020 edition of Pinterest annual insights report showed that searches for space related ideas such as space tourism and STEM education had increased. In a fun and creative Video Pin using the Trend Badge “Pinterest 100 2020”, Cadbury showcased its new chocolate candy range in scenes set across the galaxy. By using a strong cultural theme, Cadbury was able to be relevant and well aligned with the interests of the Pinterest audience.
Other brands who have used Pinterest insights effectively to help reach their target audiences include Aussie Hair, who partnered with Pinterest in the UK to launch their first campaign entirely shaped from the hair ideas that Pinterest users were searching for on the platform. With searches for “beach holiday hairstyles” up 78% among UK Pinterest users, Aussie Hair used this specific trend to spotlight its 3 Minute Miracle range in a Video Pin using the Trend Badge “Pinterest Trend 2020” and highlighting how these products hydrate hair after a swim in the sea or a day trip outdoors. This insights led experience provided consumers with ideas for how to bring to life Aussie Hair’s products.
It’s clear that consumers are escaping the present by keeping themselves busy at home during lockdown and by actively planning for the future. Consumers need brands to paint a clear vision of what’s to come, with empathy, optimism and a sense of intellectual generosity. They are depending on brands to share the leadership, the inspiration and the ideas they need—not just to cope, but to re-imagine, with more conviction and certainty than ever—how they can create a life they love.
As Christmas approaches, people will want to celebrate, but they’ll also expect brands to reflect their “new normal”, and detailed customer insights into what this looks like for the consumer and help brands navigate the new world we’ve found ourselves in.
Picture / ‘Cadbury’, by Kit, used under CC BY-NC 2.0
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