Dive Brief:
- Pinterest today, Oct. 26, launched a programmatic solution called Programmatic Deals in a handful of regions globally, according to a company announcement.
- Programmatic Deals enables media buyers to purchase Pinterest display and video inventory through supply-side platforms including Magnite and demand-side platforms including Amazon Ads DVA+, Google Display & Video 360 and Yahoo DSP.
- Programmatic buying is available in North America, South America and Asia Pacific and follows a test that delivered higher incremental reach for brand Moroccanoil. Other efforts from Pinterest to boost its programmatic capabilities include recent executive appointments and new performance-focused ad tools.
Dive Insight:
A deeper focus on programmatic could help Pinterest make its way into advertisers’ broader media plans at a time when automation has become a larger priority. Programmatic buying within digital media is expected to occupy 74% of total open-internet revenues in 2026, according to a forecast from Madison & Wall.
The move is the latest from Pinterest to boost its positioning around programmatic. In February, the platform completed its acquisition of TvScientific, a connected TV advertising platform designed to automate ad buying for marketers. Shortly after, it named TvScientific CEO Jason Fairchild as general manager of its programmatic and affiliate operations.
Pinterest touted early results from the Programmatic Deals solution with the beauty brand Moroccanoil, which used a deal enabled by Magnite and via Amazon Ads for a June campaign to add Pinterest to an existing campaign. The effort delivered 15% higher incremental reach with only 1% audience overlap, and 63% more new-to-brand buyers among consumers whose purchase paths included Pinterest. Additionally, the campaign saw a 20% higher click-through rate than the brand’s average video and display ad campaigns.
Programmatic Deals is meant to bring Pinterest ad inventory to enterprise marketers through their existing campaign workflows across the planning, buying and measurement spaces. As the primary supply-side partner, Magnite will provide the technology that connects Pinterest’s ad inventory and audience signals to buying platforms. Pinterest’s inventory is also part of Magnite Orchestration, an artificial intelligence-driven coordination layer introduced in June that allows media buyers to connect their AI agents to Magnite’s seller agent.
In Latin America and Asia Pacific, Pinterest has named Google Ad Manager as a supply-side partner. On the demand side of operations, Pinterest inventory can be purchased via Google Display & Video 360, Yahoo DSP and Amazon Ads DVA+. Pinterest has an existing relationship with Amazon Ads, having tapped the platform as its first partner for third-party ads in 2023.
For advertisers, Pinterest offers 640 million monthly active users and over 80 billion monthly searches every month, with more than half of those searches being commercial, according to details shared by the company.
The latest move from Pinterest marks its next phase in strengthening its programmatic business. Last May, the company named Chip Jessop, Amazon’s former director of global accounts and North America ad tech sales, as its first head of programmatic. Pinterest’s acquisition of TvScientific was positioned at the time it was announced as playing a key role in the platform’s goal to offer a unified programmatic solution spanning search, social and CTV.
Pinterest’s new ad performance feature called Visual Search Ads strategically places advertisers in Pinterest search results and Pin closeups. Pinterest’s Q2 revenue totaled $1.18 billion, an 18% year-over-year increase, per an earnings statement. The company’s Q3 earnings release is scheduled for Oct. 29 after the bell.
