Launching Buyable pins

Pinterest: Creative direction, brand strategy

In June 2016, Pinterest made one of its most signifiant product improvements: buyable pins. What makes Pinterest so valuable to its millions of users is people are often already in the mood to shop while they use the app. I helped bring the product to life with a talented team of designers, writers, researchers, and engineers by leaning into how user already see know: Pinterest is a place to find inspiration and express your creativity. Taking cues from the product, we focused pairing a new typeface (Neue Haas Grotesk) with rich and inviting photography.

 
 

The most personal place to shop

People who use Pinterest describe is as a deeply creative experience. It’s a place that allows them to explore new hobbies without the other pressures of social media. We wanted to highlight how people already use Pinterest, for moments big and small, and how shopping fit naturally into that process. EVEN/ODD Films produced a suite of short films to show just how easy and seamless it was. 

 

 ► Introducing Buyable pins

 ► Platinum Bound

 ► Just add s'mores

 ► Raise a glass

 

Promotion and distribution

We took advantage of every opportunity in and out of the product to show off shopping on Pinterest. 

 

User-education
A set of educational video were distributed both on Pinterest and to our press partners. Many publications embedded these videos as gifs to give audiences a first peek at the new feature. 

In product promotion
We used the product launch as an opportunity to optimize the logged out home screen on desktop to promote new products.

The big day
Shopping on Pinterest was launched at the company headquarters in San Francisco. Because the upgrade would take a few days to roll out to all users, we created demo stations that displayed how buying worked. And in Pinterest product launch tradition, we invited local creatives who helped reporters and pinners make hammered leather wallets. 

 

The core launch team in our (temporary) war room dubbed "The Vault" in the days leading up to the product release :-)