Pinterest Opens Its Doors To Programmatic Media Buyers, Who Promise To Just Look At The Mood Boards, Not Touch

SAN FRANCISCO—Pinterest on Monday opened its inventory to programmatic media buyers, a group of people who have spent their careers buying ads in auctions and who, within 40 minutes of logging on, had collectively pinned 400 kitchens with open shelving.

Marketing Dive reported that Pinterest launched Programmatic Deals on Oct. 26, working with Magnite as the supply side platform and with Amazon DSP, DV360 and Yahoo as demand side platforms. Pinterest said a Moroccanoil test delivered 15% higher incremental reach with 1% audience overlap. The platform cited 640 million monthly users and 80 billion monthly searches, and reports earnings Oct. 29.

"I came here to buy reach," said Kendra Moffet, a fictional programmatic director at a holding company agency. "I am now on a board called 'Someday Mudroom.' I do not have a house. I have a DSP login and a dream."

Pinterest executives said the product lets buyers reach planners at the moment of intent. Buyers said they understood, because they were now also planning things, mainly a reading nook.

A Media Buyer's First Day On Pinterest

400

Kitchens pinned, none for the campaign

Insertion order filed, under "Fall Tablescapes"

Times the buyer opened the DSP

Source: The Daily SKU Retail Media Desk; observed from behind one agency cubicle, figures invented

"I do not have a house. I have a DSP login and a dream."

Agency leadership asked teams to stay focused. "Pinterest is a performance channel," said one fictional chief media officer in a memo titled "Please Stop Pinning." "It is not a personal journey. Do not save the creative to a board named 'Us.'"

The 1% overlap figure, which suggests most people reached on Pinterest were not reached elsewhere, was received by buyers as both a strong selling point and a mild personal insult. "These are people I have never met," said one fictional buyer. "They have better taste than everyone I have met."

At press time, the first programmatic insertion order had been filed successfully, under a board titled "Fall Tablescapes."

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