We heard two months ago that Pinterest was preparing to launch video ads, but haven’t heard much about it since then.
While the company has yet to make a related announcement, DigiDay is now reporting that they are now being tested with a small group of users with some advertisers. Garett Sloane writes:
The source said that the videos employ an autoplay function that sets them in motion when a user stops scrolling over them. Pinterest is testing video ad length, according to sources.
While Pinterest certainly has its share of videos, it’s not really what people think of the service for. As others have noted, the format would probably work better for Pinterest and its advertisers if they do something to encourage more video viewing in the first place. That might be easier said than done.
At the same time, Pinterest has to compete with the likes of Facebook and Twitter, which both offer video formats. On the other hand, it does pitch itself as a search service more and more these days, and wants a piece of the Google ad spend pie. Of course that also includes video ads.
Last year, Pinterest launched Cinematic Pins, which move when a user scrolls by them. Apparently these will continue to be offered as well.
Just last week, Pinterest finally opened its Ads Manager to all U.S. small and medium-sized businesses.
