• by Colin Kirkland , February 10, 2025

During his keynote speech at SoCom -- a sold-out marketing conference in Los Angeles that fully focused on social commerce -- Pinterest’s Chief Content Officer Malik Ducard promoted the “joy revolution,” a concept that relies on a simple idea: platforms and advertisers most optimized for “joy” will see the best results. 

“Shopping has become just something to be tolerated,” Ducard told the audience. “But shopping is much bigger than that. It’s the heart of the soul of our economy.” This is why Ducard says Pinterest optimizes not for “time spent,” but “time spent well” -- “dream-scrolling on a positive platform, not doom-scrolling on a negative one.” Although this is a line often repeated by the platform’s top executives, there is data to prove its desired effect. 

According to a recent Sprout Social poll of 4,500 social-media users, 60% of Gen Z respondents -- the platform’s fastest-growing demographic -- said they think Pinterest is a more positive platform than its competitors. 

With Pinterest emerging as a major commerce hub, launching AI-powered ad tools, adding users and delivering strong results for brands, MediaPost spoke privately with Ducard after his keynote about how Pinterest’s dedication to joy sets the company apart, why “rage is not a sustainable business model,” and how advertisers can tap into the platform’s growing user base.  

This interview has been edited for concision and clarity. 

MediaPost: What is the main focus of the “joy revolution” ethos?

Malik Ducard: We've seen where optimizing for the baser instincts of humanity leads, and we deeply believe at Pinterest that enragement doesn't equal engagement. Even though a lot of systems are optimized for that.

MP: Major platforms like Meta and X are beginning to stoke further enragement, especially as they embrace a “Community Notes” content moderation approach.

MD: We’re going further toward inspiration and positivity. We built our platform around this idea. It’s foundational for us: optimizing for healthier outcomes, for collaboration, versus viral or ephemeral experiences. 

We have 1.5 billion content “saves” every week. These are things people want to come back to. They can be deeply important to them, compared to a “like” on another platform, which is typically a more passive action.

MP: What does Pinterest do with that information?

MD: Our systems choose the "save" or the piece of content that will help the user travel further through the journey of their interests, their inspiration, and turn it into real life. 

And that might very well mean leaving the platform. Click over here to buy something, or click over here to learn something off-platform. When you look at social media in general, it's really designed to keep you there and keep you longer. We aren't doing that. 

We are a visual search engine that helps people delve into their ideas and get to where they want to get to be, whether it’s on-platform or off-platform.

MP: Does this make for a longer customer journey? How do you explain this to brands?

MD: It isn't hard because it mirrors the typical customer journey: people deciding ‘What do I want to do? Where do I want to go? What do I want to buy? What am I interested in?’ And it isn't a linear path. 

Shopping starts with some exploration, some research, some ideation or a visual aesthetic, and finally the search for where to purchase. Pinterest is full-funnel. It starts at the beginning, and it takes you all the way to completion, so it isn't difficult to describe that to brands.

MP: How has Pinterest evolved as a shopping destination?

MD: Now over 50% of our users think of Pinterest as a place to shop, but three-and-a-half years ago, Pinterest was more equipped for the beginning of the shopping journey: the equivalent of window-shopping.  

But we’ve since closed that loop, giving users the option to click and buy. Our content will take them directly to the retail site to do that. We had to reintroduce ourselves to the market, and major retailers like Wayfair and Walmart are making use of it. 

MP: Does your user base differ from those on other major social platforms?

MD: People don't come to us for entertainment. It is not a lean-back, passive entrance. Pinners come in leaning forward. They're looking to discover, to do, to act. That mindset leads to a completely different experience, especially for brands.

MP: How so?

MD: When our users search for products on Pinterest, 90% of the searches are unbranded. They're looking for a category or a thing with intent, but they don't have a brand yet attached to it, so their mind isn't made up. 

So brands have an opportunity to present their product and their content as the users go from discovering to actually buying the product or whatever it is they're making and putting together.

MP: Is the purpose or presence of creators unique to Pinterest as well?

MD: Our creators come to the platform with delivery on user intent. They have the desire and experience to share with users how to do something, like preparing a meal or bringing a project to life. 

Their content is typically meant to be actionable -- based around guidance and ideas -- which overpowers the focus on just personality, making creators critical to how content is discovered over time.

MP: So it’s more educational content?

MD: Yes, and it has a longer lifespan than content on other platforms. 

When content is meant to expire quickly, it puts creators on a hamster wheel to constantly produce. But with us, the substance of content is more important, and we provide creators with information on predictive trends they can use to inform their content creation. 

MP: Is Pinterest trying to attract more creators to the platform?

MD: We certainly want to attract more creators who have content that is actionable and resonates with intent-driven users. That’s what our users connect most to. 

MP: You mentioned in your keynote that Gen Z is the fastest-growing audience on Pinterest. Is that a surprise?

MD: It’s not surprising, but it’s not something we planned for. I think building a platform for positivity and safety is unique in the marketplace, and Gen Z has found the setting a place where they can thrive, share and collect ideas in no-judgement zones and help build out their identity. 

What’s more interesting is that Gen X and Millennials are consuming Gen Z content at a higher rate than content from their own cohorts. So they have had a big impact on the platform.

MP: How does Pinterest establish a safer environment?

MD: We tune our systems to focus on inspiration and sturdy experiences. The option to save content versus the option to like content leads to a user experience based around personal development versus showcasing activity out to the world. 

For example, being drawn to the design on a pair of jeans isn’t based on 100 people commenting on it -- it’s about a user’s own closet. It’s about hyper-personalization, not FOMO.