Pinterest Just Launched Its First Major Ad Campaign

Back in March Pinterest president Tim Kendall told me that because Pinterest is a place where people plan things, it makes us more receptive to brand messages than perhaps on other social platforms. “Because it’s a platform based around discovery, people are in an open mindset,” he said. “They’re here with the intention of finding something new. The vast majority of content on Pinterest comes from businesses, brands, and partners. There isn’t a user-generated component on the platform, so people aren’t here to learn about what they’re friends are doing. They’re there to plan their lives. And people plan their lives through content that brands produce.”

Today the brand launched its first-ever ad campaign called “What If.”

Created with ad creative Janet Champ, “What If” includes Times Square billboards from media agency Giant Spoon and native ads on Mic and The New York Times. It revolves around that idea of people using Pinterest as a way to discover and plan their lives–whether that means getting a new tattoo, trying out that new hairstyle, dance move, dessert combo, and on and on.

According to a blog post from brand writer Mac Huynh introducing the campaign, 84% of people on Pinterest say it helps them learn new things, and 70% of people search, save or click through on Pins to learn more, “there’s one major barrier to trying new things, especially for women: that voice in your head that makes you doubt yourself. And that’s why our first ad campaign, launching today in the U.S., is all about putting self-doubt in its place and owning the best-case scenario. We want to bring possibilities to life through two simple words: What if.”

It’s not the kind of ad campaign that grabs you by the collar and screams “PINTEREST!” in your face, but does effectively–and stylishly–illustrate just why so many people love it.