Pinterest is making a pitch to marketers looking to connect with Gen Z consumers, by highlighting how the app facilitates discovery, without the pressure of aligning with broader trends or making users feel like they’re being told what to think.
Which, according to Pinterest, is a key problem:
“These days, it feels like we all hear the same viral songs, and our feeds push the same outfits. We let algorithms decide what we see and tell us what we’re supposed to like. Spending time online doesn’t help us to find what we love anymore because we’re losing touch with our own taste. Whether it’s mindlessly scrolling or deferring to AI chatbots, we’ve started to outsource more and more of our critical thinking and creative decision-making. The cost is subtle but serious: we weaken our own sense of taste.”
In variance to this, Pinterest says that Gen Z users are able to find themselves in Pins, because Pinterest is less performative, and more aligned with discovery, as opposed to meeting the demands of algorithmic amplification.
Pinterest says that its approach helps young audiences find their own identity within trends, by enabling customization of their interests:
“Research shows that nearly one out of four Gen Zers and millennials who engage with trends avoid trend fatigue by putting their own spin on them. They’re craving experiences that demand their time, energy and most importantly, agency. Because when you have to work to find something, you’re not just buying a product, you’re deciding who you are.”
Pinterest also notes that its visual-focused approach is more aligned with how Gen Z discovers content, in variance to text-based platforms and AI chatbots.
“For Gen Zers in particular, who grew up with phones and screens in their hands, they don’t want to see walls of text. 69% of Gen Zers agree that visual results are more helpful than text or reviews when deciding what to buy.”
Finally, Pinterest says that Pinterest feels more personal, and less performative, because you’re searching for your own interests, not working to meet the whims of an algorithm.
“While other platforms churn with toxicity - heated debates, comparison, chaos - Pinterest moves at a different pace. It’s more intentional, quieter and slower by design. Think of it as the anti-doomscroll. That slower pace matters because ads are content on Pinterest, meaning brands show up as part of Gen Z’s identity exploration instead of interrupting it. That’s not just a state of mind - people actually scroll ads 150% slower on Pinterest than they do on other social media platforms.”
Some interesting insights, which point to the increasing value of Pinterest as a discovery platform, and as an alternative to the algorithm-defined chaos of some of the other apps.
Because it is a lot. Scrolling through the feed these days can bring up all kinds of anxieties, and while awareness of world issues is also important, it can be good to have an escape.
For an increasing number of Gen Z users, Pinterest is that alternative, which could present more opportunities for your marketing efforts.
