We are living in an era of distraction.

From constant email pop-ups, to cluttered news feeds and ads sprinkled throughout our platforms, our ability to focus and absorb is weakening, even when faced with video content.

We know people are playing more videos than ever before. We’ve seen the prolific rise of video streaming and creation mediums over the past few years. Everyone from celebrities to stay-at-home mums, hilarious toddlers and even pets attract millions of video views.

But how many people are actually really paying attention to the videos they’re watching, particularly the ads that pop up in their streaming or social channels?

It’s a challenge for advertisers, given most have a limited creative and overall campaign budget, and a strong desire to genuinely connect and inspire their audience.

That’s where Pinterest differentiates

Pinterest is already delivering a more valuable engagement with its Pinners. Users are spending and buying more, more often. People come to Pinterest to plan. With that motivation comes purchase intent and an open mind to try something new, where brands can become solutions and a source of their ideas. On Pinterest, ads and ideas from brands are welcomed and not intrusive. People on Pinterest are more engaged and more open to your brand because they have the intent on making a purchase but are undecided. 

The unique planning mindset of the Pinterest audience is the reason video on the platform reaches people more effectively.  Recent data shows video ads on Pinterest have 3x higher viewability and 2x higher completion rate than other platforms, and show a strong correlation with message association (MRC Video View Rate. Viewability benchmark 2020).

Why? Because they fit in. They are additive to the Pinterest user experience. On Pinterest, people actually want to see video content from advertisers to help them turn their ideas into reality.

For brands, it’s a win-win. Same ad budget, more effective campaign. Pinterest provides a ready-made space to put relevant video content in front of a broad, captive audience, who are more likely to not only see it, but engage with it.

The strategy worked for Australian subscription TV service Foxtel, which achieved full funnel success with the recent launch of its Wentworth series.

Foxtel used video, standard Pins and Pinterest Premiere (where brands can align video ad targeting with either a specific demographic, or a specific category) to build a truly full-funnel campaign to promote the new Wentworth series and increase monthly subscriptions.

The result? 

A 10.3 percentage point increase in ad recall, a seven percentage point increase in brand association and a 20 percent lower CPA than budgeted (Foxtel data, 2021).

Foxtel used standard and video ads, coupled with conversion-optimised ads and Pinterest Premiere, to grow awareness among their broad target audience, encouraging engagement and clicks. By using a combination of formats and harnessing video ads, Foxtel managed to hit its key campaign targets and drive hype and anticipation for the series launch. 

For other brands, Foxtel’s formula is a good one to follow to grow awareness and conversions and increase returns. 

Brands should opt for a full-funnel approach, which maximises the opportunity to create engaging video content for an audience hungry for a fully immersive online experience.

Getting the most out of a Pinterest video ad requires brands to know their goal and their customer. Have a clear objective and target audience, but do some research – look into what people are searching for on Pinterest and the Pins that are resonating. The visual content all comes down to brand – do you hero user-generated content or prefer a slick campaign? Think about how to engage your customers by making the content actionable. Collaborate with Creators who your audience follow, or encourage customers to try on and shop a product with Pinterest’s Try On sticker. The key is to make the ad enticing so Pinners have no choice but to engage.

And, let’s face it – with 400 million people using Pinterest every month around the world for inspiration on everything from beauty to room renovations to parenting and exercise, the platform should be a must-buy for brands looking to invest in video and achieve results.

To help advertisers Pinterest is providing top tips for creating the most engaging video ad, based on the most effective reaching content from the last year on Pinterest. 

• Decipher your business goals – think first about your business objectives to decide whether you want a high impact, short sharp video to grab attention, or a lengthier, more educational version.

• Know your customer – to target the most relevant audience with your video, ensure that you know who that audience is. Since the idea of the traditional ‘audience profile’ has been disrupted, read up on new consumer habits and expectations which are emerging. It can be as simple as choosing colour palettes and words that they are most drawn to.

• Select the right ingredients – different audiences respond best to different types of video-content. From user-generated content which is human-led, to videos which offer click throughs with additional information, think carefully about your video components.

• Tap into what people are searching for – to help shape the direction of your video, look into what your audience is searching for. Check out Pinterest Trends, so you can spearhead these trends as they grow and peak, to ensure you’re front of mind for what’s of interest to them. From cocktails at Christmas, to red nails for Valentine’s Day.

• Make it actionable – whether it’s collaborating with Creators who your audience follow, or encouraging your customers to try on and shop a product with a Try on Sticker, it’s important to make your video content engaging and actionable.

Carin Lee-Skelton is the partnerships lead at Pinterest.