Brands Would Rather Enlist 'Pinfluencers' Than Pay for Ads

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This month, Pinterest rolled out more Promoted Pins in hopes of winning over advertiser dollars. But as the Wall Street Journal reports, companies are still bypassing buying ads and instead employing the help of Pinfluencers, or Pinterest stars with a huge following, to promote their brands. Retailers who've gone the Pinfluencer route include Clinique, Tommy Hilfiger, and Nordstrom.

"We often see twice the lift in engagement on a product when we use an influencer on Pinterest," J. C. Penney's director of social and mobile marketing Sean Ryan told WSJ. Target has employed both Pinfluencers and Promoted Pins and told WSJ it had a "good experience buying Pinterest ads."

A critical report called "Pinterest is Not Ready For Primetime" from Forrester Research suggested marketers haven't been able to gain enough value by pinning their own content right now. Meanwhile, Pinterest says they are rolling out new ad features like improved targeting, measurement, and ad formats.
· 'Pinfluencers' Are Getting Paid. Pinterest Itself, Not So Much [WSJ]
· Pinterest Users Will See More Promoted Pins Soon [Racked]
· Pinfluencers Pin Full Time, Earn Hundreds of Thousands [Racked]