Pinterest pins hopes for broader appeal on holiday marketing push

Published: December 3, 2012 

— Pinterest is the one looking to get pinned this holiday season.

The popular social networking site that lets you collect and share images from around the Web by pinning them to virtual boards is looking to broaden its appeal with consumers and brands with a major marketing push.

Pinterest this month launched “30 Days of Pinspiration,” holiday themed boards filled with an assortment of tips from an eclectic mix of celebrities, businesses and others. Among the contributors are chef Paula Deen and Jordan Ferney, creator of the party and lifestyle blog Oh Happy Day, as well as the NBA, the U.S. Marine Corps and Starbucks. Katie Couric kicked off the campaign with her favorite Thanksgiving recipes.

Pinterest recently began offering accounts for businesses and free tools to help them woo Pinterest users. Pinterest also said it plans to offer more business services including business analytics.

Pinterest won’t say what kind of business model it plans to roll out or even if it makes money. But the San Francisco startup is clearly stepping up its efforts to cash in on its explosive popularity, Altimeter Group analyst Susan Etlinger said.

“Pinterest is starting to grow up, and it’s starting to get serious about appealing to retailers,” she said.

Founded in 2009, Pinterest has quickly become one of the Web’s largest social networks and one of the fastest growing. Research firm ComScore says Pinterest had nearly 27 million unique visitors last month, up from 3.3 million in October 2011. Its meteoric rise has attracted investors who in May forked over $100 million in funding that valued the 80-employee company at an eye-popping $1.5 billion.

Yet, like Facebook and Twitter, Pinterest has taken a slow, cautious approach to formulating its business strategy, in part to avoid the misfires of other social networks, analysts say. Pinterest says it’s intent on finding a business model that makes the experience better for users.

Order Reprint Back to Top

Top Jobs

View All Top Jobs

Find a Home

$1,125,000 Raleigh
5 bed, 4 full bath, 1 half bath. Exquisite estate home in...

Find a Car

Search New Cars
Ads by Yahoo!