Case Study: Targeting Men on Pinterest with DIY Network
The Target
Despite the huge surge in Pinterest users since early 2012, men have been a particular sore spot for the social network. With pins of weddings, flowers, and doilies abound on Pinterest, male adoption of the site has been low. Those that have adopted the network have found ways of avoiding the typical female content, usually by starting fresh with who they follow (word of advice: don’t connect with the female friends you have on Facebook despite the recommendation by Pinterest. I have found this out personally- way too many pink things). Luckily, these men have begun using Pinterest in other ways, following more “manly” and gender-neutral topics like sports, technology, news, traveling, and gadgets.
Given the more female skew on Pinterest, many brands have been hesitant to launch Pinterest campaigns more targeted towards men. However, as more and more guys explore what the site has to offer, brands that do test out this target may see a higher ROI in their Pinterest marketing efforts.
The Campaign
DIY Network is one such example of a brand trying to target men on Pinterest. Its Yard Crashers show, popular with men and women given its more handyman and do-it-yourself nature, launched a Pinterest campaign this April. The campaign, dubbed “Pin Your Turf, We’ll Crash your City”, partnered with the MLB and selected ten different major league ballparks across the country. These ten ballparks each had their own pin on the campaign’s Pinterest board. Users were asked to repin one of the ballpark’s pins onto their Pinterest boards. Each repin became a vote. The ballpark with the most votes won and will host an upcoming episode of Yard Crashers.
The Results
So far, nearly 42,000 users are following the board, and each ballpark has received hundreds of repins and comments. Unfortunately, despite the campaign’s more male-oriented target, the majority of users engaging with the contest are female, and many have repinned the contest to their “for the home” boards.
To really drive male interaction, DIY Network should categorize the pins as “sports” and run male-targeted media. The overall goal is to increase followers on Pinterest, and driving male followers for do-it-yourself household projects could prove successful. This campaign is proof that Pinterest still has room to grow. With a few redesigns and changed marketing efforts, Pinterest could develop their male audience further. Images on the web aren’t all about women’s interests, and if Pinterest can communicate this, brands with male targets may see their potential on the social network grow.
-Bryan Nagy
