Marketing Digital Marketing

How can brands use trends as a strategic springboard for marketing in 2025?

From Aura Beauty and Nesting Parties to the Pickle Fix, Pinterest’s ‘not yet trending’ report lays out the data-driven creative playground for marketers in the year ahead. But how can marketers turn these insights into winning campaigns?

By Maria Greaves, Assistant editor - branded content

The Drum

February 20, 2025 | 6 min read

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Trends are growing 4.4 times faster and they’re dropping off 14 times faster, too. But “not all trends are created equally”, says Caroline Orange-Northey, Pinterest’s director of retail, UK. “Some of them will be a fleeting, flash-in-the-pan fad. Others will be more durable. But the trick is, how do you differentiate between the two?”

Orange-Northey was speaking alongside Pinterest’s creative strategy lead, Karen Bloom at The Drum’s Predictions 2025 event [watch the full video here]. And she should know: Pinterest has become a powerhouse for predicting trends that actually last, with 80% of its predictions having come true[1], and stuck around for longer, over the past five years[2]. So what are its Pinterest Predicts for 2025, and how can marketers use them to see around corners this year?

From fishermen to goddesses… some of the trends shaping 2025

  • Nesting Parties: It’s all about the “fourth trimester” in this trend for supporting new parents [3]. Brands from auto to fashion can tap into this moment by offering practical and aesthetic solutions.
  • Peak Travel: Orange-Northey predicts: “Cities have totally peaked. Imagine crisp mountain air, and treetop views, whether you’re jetting off to the ski slopes or the local countryside.” Travel brands could pivot towards promoting off-the-beaten-path experiences.
  • Fisherman Aesthetic: Gen Z and Gen X will embrace laid-back maritime attitudes, from preppy stripes, to cable knits and knots on everything.
  • Goddess Complex: Gold accents, luxurious self-care, and a return to divine femininity are all part of this movement which is not just about aesthetics but is also dictating an empowering mindset.
  • Pickle Fix: “Pickles are the new olive,” says Orange-Northey. Expect to see them in unexpected places, from cocktails to cakes.

Taking control of the new insights-driven creative playground

The message for marketers looking to leverage Pinterest Predicts was to focus on three key areas: trend selection, campaign strategy, and exclusive ownership. And for those who get it right, there’s “magic to be made”.

1. Choose the right trend: What feels exciting to your brand? Some trends will feel endemic and perfectly aligned with your existing campaigns. Others might challenge you to think outside the box by exploring adjacent and unexpected connections, advises Bloom. Identify the trend that feels right for your business, objectives and media plan.

2. Think beyond the Pin when it comes to campaign strategy: Use trends as a creative springboard. Whether that’s making a trend the star of a campaign, building entire storytelling, design or production concepts around it, or using it subtly in color schemes and visuals. However the trend is used to add spin to a creative, integration is key.

3. Lean into key life moments: Amplify a trend’s impact by pairing it with a relevant seasonal opportunity or consumer planning moment. “If people are planning moments on Pinterest, trends are the things they’re searching for within those moments,” says Bloom. Make sure you’re showing up at the right times, as early as possible to capture the attention of these consumers who are primed to be influenced.

4. Own a trend: Brands can sponsor a trend and own it exclusively within their category on Pinterest. This unlocks benefits such as exclusive use of the Pinterest Predicts trend badge and co-marketing opportunities. The badge is seen as a stamp of approval, helping improve CVR and CPAs[4] while increasing trust. For example, Malibu sponsored the ‘Fringe With Benefits’ fashion trend from the 2023 report, targeting the Gen Z audience, which drove a 2.3 x action intent[4] among 18–24-year-olds.

Watch the video for more on how to harness this year’s hottest trends. And check out Pinterest Predicts 2025 to explore how to build a long-lasting trend cycle for your brand.

[1] Pinterest internal data; Global searches, related Pin Saves and Product Pin outbound clicks; July 2018 - June 2024
[2] Signoi Social Analytics, Quantitative and Qualitative Research commissioned by Pinterest; US, UK, and DE, monthly Pinterest users A18-42, March 2024; Indexed Search Period - Jan 2018-March 2024
[3] Pinterest internal data, English language search data, Global, analysis period September 2022 to August 2024, Baby Boomer (60+), Gen X (44–59), Gen Z (18-27), Millennials (28-43). Please note that Pinterest's Advertising Guidelines prohibit targeting of any audience based on religious beliefs or sensitive health or medical conditions including medical conditions, symptoms, or treatments related to fertility or pregnancy. For more information, please see our Advertising Guidelines.
[4] Source: 1. Pinterest internal data, US & UK, 2022. Campaigns with 100% of impressions going to badged Pins vs. campaigns with 0% of impressions going to badged Pins. N=30, conversions based on a 7/7/7 attribution window. Conversion rate defined as conversion volume / total impression.
[5] Source: Malibu x Pinterest Brand Lift Study, UK, 2023

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