The Glossy 50 celebrates individual changemakers. They include executives who took their companies into new, competitive categories, industry newcomers who disrupted age-old processes, dealmakers who led groundbreaking partnerships and creatives whose work managed to cut through the noise. More from the series →
The Accelerators: These drivers of a growth-fueling change made a big impact in-house.
As more Gen-Z users engage with Pinterest, more brands are becoming interested in the platform’s discovery opportunity. Dior and Louis Vuitton now advertise on Pinterest, and retailers including designer marketplace APOC are using the platform’s trend timeline tool to plan campaigns. The number of Gen Zers in the U.S. who use social media to find inspiration has grown 16% since 2020, according to research firm GWI.
Along with growing as a discovery platform, Pinterest is gaining traction as a shopping destination. In April, Pinterest announced a multiyear strategic ad partnership with Amazon aimed at bringing more brands and relevant products to the platform.
In its latest quarterly earnings, announced in October, Pinterest reported a 50% increase in click-throughs and saves of shoppable items, compared to last year, with growth accelerating from the prior quarter.
In addition, search responsibility is becoming a larger focus for Pinterest. Specifically, prioritizing inclusivity in search results has been a priority this year. This has been driven by a computer-vision AI technology that’s been spearheaded by chief product officer Sabrina Ellis and her team of engineers and designers.
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“We have the opportunity to build a truly positive platform, and the potential impact we can have on the world is immense,” said Ellis. Pinterest had 463 million monthly active users globally as of April 2023.
Ellis has led the implementation of a technology that identifies skin tones and body types by analyzing over 5 billion images on the platform.
“By using body type technology and our previously launched skin tone technology, we’re improving representation across related feeds and search results for high-traffic areas like women’s fashion and wedding-related content,” said Ellis. “Specifically, in recommendations, we’ve improved body type representation on Pinterest by more than 5x and skin tone representation by more than 4x in the last year.”
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Ellis added, “Inclusivity is not only a responsibility, but it’s also an opportunity. […] For Pinterest, when our users feel represented and seen, they are more likely to engage and take action on what they see.” The company’s revenue rose 11.5% to $763.2 million for the quarter ending on September 30.
According to the company, Pinterest saw a 70% increase in users saving pins from the 18 skin tones it’s defined so far, in six of its key markets — that includes the U.S and the U.K. Ellis said she expects recent AI improvements to bring new users to the platform; Pinterest’s Gen-Z user base grew 20% this year.
Overall, Ellis said it’s her responsibility to continue advancing inclusivity and diversity on the platform, as well as within her own team. “An inclusive culture is a prerequisite to building an inclusive product,” she said.
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