‘Reimagining Christmas’ to support the creative community

Pinterest always strives to be a positive place both on our platform as well as in the real world. With the festive season just around the corner, and people looking for inspiration now more than ever, we’re announcing the winners of the ‘Reimagining Christmas’ competition, designed to support furloughed creatives in the UK.

This year has been challenging for all of us, and the creative industry is no exception. In June, the Creative Industries Federation reported that almost 50,000 UK advertising jobs (26%) could be lost in 2020 as a result of the pandemic, with advertising spend expected to drop by £4 billion (17%) overall.

With so many in the industry having been furloughed, Pinterest, in partnership with The Dots, wanted to show support by providing a paid opportunity for creatives to pitch their festive ad campaign ideas to some of the UK’s top household names.

The task? Choose from a list of top brands including Topshop, Birdseye, MADE and British Airways, and develop a creative Christmas ad campaign to run on Pinterest. Candidates were asked to leverage the range of Pinterest ad formats and shine a spotlight on the uniqueness of the Pinterest audience who come to the platform decision-oriented and commercially-minded.

“Here at The Dots, we’ve been on the coalface of the challenges that talent – particularly young talent – are experiencing. That’s why collaborations like this are so important, as it gets much-needed cash in our community’s pockets and helps them potentially secure more work. Hopefully, it will encourage other brands to follow suit!”

Christmas is a key time of year for so many brands seeking to engage consumers with messages of positivity and hope. Pinterest’s range of ad formats, from standalone formats such as videos or Promoted Pins, to more advanced functionality such as AI-enabled Pin extensions, make it the ideal environment for creatives to inspire decisions for thoughtful gift-giving with compelling and fully bespoke ad campaigns.

Unsurprisingly, people are looking for positive inspiration on Pinterest more than ever, with searches and interest in ‘positivity’ up 65% since this time last year -- at their highest levels in Pinterest’s history. Pinterest has always been a positive place, with nearly 9 in 10 weekly Pinners saying that Pinterest is an online oasis. Further, 35% of UK adults agree that when they see a brand in a positive space, they’re more likely to trust that brand, with 32% of UK adults more likely to purchase that brand.

“At Pinterest, we’re working on creating a more positive environment for consumers, creators and brands, and that work includes ways for us to give back to the communities we work with. The ‘Reimagine Christmas’ initiative has enabled us to connect and give back to furloughed advertising creatives after what has been the most challenging of times as well as showcase how audience insights can be used to maximise the full suite of Pinterest’s ad formats. The quality and creativity of the concepts have inspired us and truly showcase the range of advertising opportunities for how brands can put an idea at the heart of a visually compelling campaign on Pinterest.”