The psychology of Pinterest

Allow me to ruminate. After reading this Washington Post article, in which the writer describes feeling inadequate and depressed after viewing Pinterest boards (similar to the way some women describe feeling when looking at fashion magazines) , I started thinking about the social site’s user base and the fact that there is something fundamental that marketers should recognize in this network, based on the common psyche of its users. This demographic is confident, active, engaged, and digital. Or, while perhaps lacking confidence or an active lifestyle, that’s how they want the world to see them.

What prompts users to engage with Pinterest?

The beauty of Pinterest is that it’s filled with the aspirations, hopes, and dreams of thousands of women (82% of the base) and men (18%). Maybe they’re not the best cooks, but they try to be better by saving recipes they want to try. Maybe they’re no good at carpentry, but they aspire to quality DIY construction and save photos of work they admire. Maybe they really don’t care to actually follow through on these things in real life, but they want you to think they do, even if subconsciously.  If Pinterest ever goes down, it will be a bonfire of vanities akin to Twitter’s fail whale.

Each Pinterest user’s desire to project their personalities  a certain way, or to be attached to certain things, reveals insights  - whether you’re looking to market to them, or just considering following them on the site. It’s like the attachment many owners feel to their iPhone or Macbook – it says something about them, whether it’s true or not. The interesting question is, does it matter to marketers whether a user’s pins are mere pipe dreams, or an accurate representation of the realities of their day-to-day life?

Personal insight – why I enjoy pinning

For my own part, I do actually try all the recipes I pin to my “Recipes” board on the site. I don’t, however, plan to buy the prohibitively expensive Anthropologie dresses I pin to “My Style” board. But the images simply make me happy – they inspire me. Contrary to the WP article mentioned earlier in this post, I don’t feel threatened by the fact that there are wealthier or more talented users out there who are actually creating these images with their own hands. I feel encouraged to try harder, to do more,  and to be what my boards say I am. I have a suspicion that this is the way many other users feel.

I pinned 2 un-affordable Anthropologie dresses, and 1 dress in my price range from Ruche. How do you, as a marketer, know which I'm likely to actually buy?

The tricky part for marketers will be determining which pins are true-to-life, and which are purely aspirations that I will never act on. This is something that would need to be accomplished using careful social media analysis of my other online presences, and my shopping habits in general. For example, my internet history clearly shows I prefer to shop for cute dresses in the $30-60 range, not $200-300, despite what I’ve pinned on My Style board. Cross-reference that with the pages I’ve liked on Facebook, and it’s clear where and how I prefer to spend my cash. I could now be served contextually relevant advertising that I’d be much more likely to convert on. And that’s great for me, because it helps me discover new shops and save money.

As an early adopter, I don’t like the idea of marketers invading the site. But I welcome genuine engagement from the companies I trust, and don’t mind the idea of following them, or choosing not to. Taking the time to understand user thought patterns and habits will be key to building an authentic and welcomed Pinterest presence.

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