How useful are AI performance tools? With Pinterest's Matt Crystal

This year, most major digital players including Meta, TikTok, Google and Pinterest have developed AI tools to help marketers get more out of their campaigns with less effort.

Such tools, which often target the long tail of advertisers at small and medium-sized businesses, have helped boost ad revenues in the third quarter at many major social media companies.

One of the most interesting companies that has released AI performance tools is Pinterest. In recent years, Pinterest has built out its capacity as a performance platform – a key strategic goal given so many users find and shop for products on the platform.

Pinterest’s vice-president of performance, Matt Crystal, who recently moved to the UK from Silicon Valley, joins host Jack Benjamin to discuss Pinterest’s lower-funnel strategy, why AI performance tools are useful for advertisers of all sizes and why he believes Pinterest offers a healthier alternative to the "toxicity" of other social media.

"We're big believers that adopting Performance+ campaigns is going to deliver you better results and we're big believers that advertisers should decide," said Crystal. "One of the things we've heard a lot about from the industry is this idea that advertisers feel uncomfortable that they're giving themselves over to the 'black box'. We want to provide advertisers with this option and we want to give them the option for control.

"We believe there is a business model in doing good."

Highlights:

3:43: Pinterest's performance push

6:52: What is Performance+ and what is Pinterest's competitive advantage?

11:12: Addressing the "black box" critique of AI performance tools

14:16: The distinction between "shopping" and "buying", and why Pinterest doesn't want to be a retailer

20:45: Creating a healthier alternative to other social media

Related articles:

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Thanks to our production partners Trisonic for editing this episode.

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