Pinterest is the home for inspiration, feeding people new and exciting ideas to act on. In a world where we give our time up so freely to things that give us nothing in return - mindlessly scrolling feeds, fishing for likes or retweets - Pinterest is an open invitation to reclaim some of that time and invest it in trying something new. Here you can peel back layer after layer of ideas, follow exciting threads and arrive somewhere unexpected, but totally right for you. So we launched ‘You just might surprise yourself’, a campaign that translated this surprising journey down the rabbit hole and brought to life all the wonderful ideas Pinterest provides to people.
The integrated campaign launched with a film that took viewers on a jaunt through the endless possibilities that unfold from a single pin. The film begins with one woman’s discovery before branching out into an unbroken thread of other characters' experiences. Directed by Yann Demange, the narration acts as the guiding “voice of Pinterest” shaping these discoveries, interacting with the on-screen characters and getting surprised by the avenues each Pinner goes down.
On the streets of Chicago, New York, London and Los Angeles, high-impact OOH provided hyper-niche suggestions of things to discover and then try on Pinterest. From disco eye makeup to indoor hydroculture to the Japanese art of Kintsugi, executions explored the endless things that could become your thing, if you’d just give them a chance.
No other platform is so specifically designed to help people turn inspiration into action. You find it on Pinterest, and then you go do it. A new visual design system was introduced, representing this mindset and the unique path to discovering and then trying these endless ideas. Perhaps you come to explore mid century modernism, find maximalism and end up leaving loving cluttercore. Digital OOH, hand-painted murals and sequential OOH in local neighbourhoods explored these personal discoveries.
The visual language used ‘pin stacks’ to illustrate the serendipitous journey on platform from one single pin to a cluster of surprising ideas tailored and totally right for you. We then introduced the ‘discovery path’, a campaign specific device inspired by the thread of inspiration you follow on Pinterest and the twists and turns you take when exploring.
We celebrated the idea that Pinterest isn’t a place that defines what you’re into - it expands what you’re into, or better still, could become into. Each headline prompted people to go search out these suggestions on Pinterest with an irreverent and playful wit. From standalone executions that suggested surprising things to go discover, to sequential executions that showed how, on Pinterest, you may start in one place yet arrive somewhere totally new to you.
Four more films continued to explore the surprising leaps and ways Pinterest can expand your interests. Whether it’s a home chef discovering the fusion of burgers and sushi or a teen trying his hand at flame nail art, the buzz of discovering new inspiration is something anyone can relate to.
Radio and podcast ads explored the transformative nature of the platform. You’re no longer just some job title on a networking site, you’re a plant whisperer, a closet cow print fan, a dancer who dons disco makeup, and above all, someone ready to find out what things really bring you joy.
—
On competitor platforms, provocative social executions prompted people to break away from their phones and reinvest their time in trying something new. Because amongst all these nifty Pins, people could find much better ways to spend their time.
The campaign reintroduced Pinterest’s role in the world as a platform that helps individuals find, shape and do what it is they actually enjoy. Not for clout or performance, but because they find it personally fulfilling. Right as people emerge from a year of mixed emotions, re-evaluating their post-pandemic lives and how they will spend their time, Pinterest’s antidote is to try something new. Simply put, you just might surprise yourself.