Edition 2025 : Pinterest Workshop
Pinterest, really?
When it comes to digital acquisition in e-commerce, Pinterest isn't necessarily the first platform that springs to mind. All too often, it remains confined to its role as a tool for inspiration, good for branding, brand awareness and trend charts. And yet... At the One to One Retail E-Commerce event, a workshop demonstrated just the opposite.
Air France shared its experience, which shattered all preconceived ideas: yes, Pinterest can generate performance. And not just a little.
On stage, Hélène Dael, Head of Media Buying - Programmatic & Paid Social at Air France, and Thomas Grosset, Industry Manager Services & Mobility at Pinterest, described a collaboration built step by step, with method. It's an ambitious project, designed to develop the role of the platform in the company's digital strategy.
For a long time, Pinterest served mainly as an inspirational showcase. But today, Air France is fully integrating it into its acquisition strategy. This change of direction is not a gamble. It is based on concrete tests, solid measurements, and one observation: the platform reaches a different audience, often CSP+, highly engaged, with real travel intentions.
"It's a target that we sometimes struggle to reach elsewhere," explains Hélène Dael. "And Pinterest resonates naturally with the world of travel."
The switchover took place in several stages. First, a traffic campaign in three markets: France, the United States and Brazil. Then, once the pixel was in place, a conversion-focused campaign, with post-click and post-view tracking integrated into their attribution tool, Wizaly. And to complete the measurement, a global marketing mix model via Equimetrix.
The figures speak for themselves: on certain activations, the ROAS observed is up to 2.75 times higher than that of other display or social channels, according to Wizaly. In other words, the platform is not just inspiring, it's generating sales.
This high-performance ROAS can be explained in particular by a methodical approach that is both agile and deeply rooted in usage. The team relies on ‘always-on’ campaigns and a continuous test and learn approach. But it is above all the search mechanism that makes the difference: designed to respond to new behaviours, whether they are guided by visual search or GenAI, it is based on a fine selection of keywords, pre-empted according to the specific characteristics of each market. The result is an ultra-contextual presence that maximises the relevance of messages from the very first stages of the advertising journey.
This efficiency is based on a more detailed understanding of the user journey. At Air France, the last click attribution model is no longer taken for granted. The team is defending a holistic approach to measurement, which takes into account all points of contact, right from the first intentions. ‘Pinterest acts very early on in the user journey. If we only look at the last interaction, we miss out on its real value’, insists Hélène Dael. It's a more nuanced view, one that enables us to better assess the role of inspirational platforms in the final decision.
This is the whole idea of brandformance: the link between branding and performance, between creating desire and real transformation. And that's where Pinterest seems to be finding its place in the digital mix of a player like Air France.
Today, the platform is activated continuously in the airline's ten priority markets, with an intensification during peak sales periods. At the same time, the team is working hand in hand with the brand department to ensure consistency across the entire funnel.
This case study doesn't just say something about Pinterest. It reflects a fundamental trend in e-commerce: the emergence of hybrid levers, capable of powering all stages of the customer journey, from initial interest to purchase.
And for decision-makers who are still hesitant to explore new acquisition territories, the message is clear: there are platforms that we think we know... but which have so much more to offer.
