Have you ever wondered what happens in the fleeting moment when someone scrolls through Pinterest, pauses before an image, and thinks to themselves: “I want to try this”? That moment — brief, fragile, and yet unnamed — is precisely what the advertising world is desperate to capture. And Pinterest has just opened a new door to step into that exact moment.
On October 26, 2026, Pinterest Programmatic Deals officially expanded to the global market. This is not a minor feature. This is a strategic declaration: Pinterest no longer wants to be a “secondary channel” in your media plan. They want to be part of the automated buying and selling flow that every enterprise marketer utilizes.
Join me, SilverZ, as we dissect this move from its roots. Because behind technical terms like SSP, DSP, or deal ID lies a story about the power of intent — and about how Pinterest is learning to sell it.
What Are Programmatic Deals and Why Are They Different From Traditional Pinterest Ads?
Previously, if you wanted to run ads on Pinterest, you had to log into Pinterest Ads Manager, set up campaigns, select audiences, and upload creatives — all within a separate interface. That meant Pinterest existed apart from the buying systems you were using for other channels.
Programmatic Deals completely change that logic. Instead of having to “visit” Pinterest, you can buy Pinterest inventory right within the DSP you are already familiar with — where you manage campaigns on Google, Amazon, Yahoo, and many other platforms. Pinterest becomes a line of inventory within the same dashboard, the same measurement process, and the same budget.
Jason Fairchild, General Manager of Programmatic & Affiliate at Pinterest, summarized the philosophy behind this move: Pinterest captures the moment people are figuring out what they want to try, buy, or do next. Programmatic Deals bring that intent into the media systems businesses already use.
In other words: Pinterest is no longer selling “ad placements.” They are selling presence in the moment before a decision is made.
Who Is Behind It? Magnite, Google Ad Manager, and the DSP Network
For Programmatic Deals to work, an ecosystem of partners is required on both sides: supply and demand.
On the supply side (SSP): Magnite is the primary supply-side partner, providing technology that connects Pinterest's inventory and audience signals with buying platforms. Pinterest inventory is also included in Magnite Orchestration — an orchestration layer that allows buy-side and sell-side AI agents to discover, evaluate, package, and optimize multi-channel inventory within the same environment. In Latin America and Asia-Pacific, Pinterest also partners with Google Ad Manager on the supply side.
On the demand side (DSP): Pinterest inventory can be purchased via Amazon Ads DVA+, Google Display & Video 360 (DV360), Yahoo DSP, and DeepIntent. Notably, Amazon Ads DVA+ — a previously announced partnership — combines Amazon's first-party audience signals with Pinterest's contextual targeting.
Currently, Programmatic Deals are available in North America, South America, and Asia-Pacific. Europe is not included in this expansion wave.
Evidence From Moroccanoil: Numbers That Speak Volumes
Pinterest is not just making empty claims. They provided a specific case study from June 2026, when hair care brand Moroccanoil utilized a programmatic deal — activated by Magnite and purchased via Amazon Ads — to add Pinterest to a campaign already running across premium video and display placements.
The results:
- 15% incremental reach — meaning 15% new users reached by the campaign thanks to Pinterest, going beyond what other channels touched.
- Only 1% audience overlap — almost no duplication with existing channels. This is an extremely impressive figure, because in digital advertising, audience overlap is one of the biggest drivers of budget waste.
- 63% brand-new buyers among those whose purchase journey went through Pinterest.
- 20% higher click-through rate compared to the brand's average video and display campaign benchmarks.
This is clear proof of Pinterest's core argument: intent on Pinterest does not overlap with intent on other channels. Pinterest users are at a different stage of their journey — the discovery before decision stage — and adding Pinterest to the media mix can effectively expand the funnel without diluting the budget.
The Scale and Nature of “Pinterest Intent”
What makes Pinterest inventory so attractive? The answer lies in scale and user behavior nature.
Pinterest currently boasts 640 million monthly active users and over 80 billion searches per month. Significantly, more than half of those are commercial searches — meaning users are looking for products, services, or ideas to shop for or execute.
Even more importantly: over 96% of text searches on Pinterest are unbranded. Users do not type “Nike shoes” or “MAC lipstick.” They type “running shoes for beginners” or “matte lipstick for dry skin.” They are looking for solutions, not brands.
This is the core differentiator. On Google, users often already know what they want and are figuring out how to buy it. On Pinterest, users are forming their needs — and whichever brand appears in that moment has the opportunity to shape the final decision.
Market Context: Programmatic Is No Longer the “Future,” It Is the Present
Pinterest's move does not happen in a vacuum. It is part of a much larger trend: programmatic is dominating the digital advertising market.
According to forecasts from Madison & Wall, programmatic trading is expected to account for 74% of total open internet ad revenue in 2026. If you are not present in programmatic systems, you are missing out on nearly three-quarters of the market.
Pinterest has been preparing for this move for a long time. They acquired tvScientific — a Connected TV (CTV) advertising platform designed to automate ad buying — and appointed tvScientific CEO Jason Fairchild as General Manager of programmatic. Programmatic Deals are the next step in a long-term strategy, not a knee-jerk reaction.
Lessons for Vietnamese Marketers: Opportunities and Notes
Vietnam is located in the Asia-Pacific region, where Programmatic Deals have been rolled out. This means Vietnamese advertisers can start testing right away through DSPs like DV360 or Yahoo DSP if their accounts are supported.
However, there are several points to keep in mind before diving in.
1. Effectiveness Must Be Measured in Specific Contexts
Moroccanoil's 20% higher CTR is the result of a campaign handpicked and published by Pinterest. It is a positive signal, but not absolute proof. When testing in Vietnam, measure incremental reach, conversion quality, and actual cost rather than just looking at CTR. A cheap click is not necessarily a valuable click.
2. Prepare for Measurement Overlap
When Pinterest becomes part of the programmatic ecosystem, measurement becomes more complex. A user might see a Pinterest ad, then search on Google, and finally purchase through an affiliate link. Different systems may attribute conversions in different ways. Standardize conversion definitions and attribution windows with your team before starting.
3. Do Not Forget the Direct Pinterest Channel
Programmatic Deals are a new way to buy, not a new product. Inventory remains Pinterest inventory, and creatives still need to be optimized for the platform's signature image and video formats. If you already have an effective Pinterest strategy, Programmatic Deals are a way to scale up. If not, do not expect it to automatically generate results.
4. Check Availability With Your DSP Partner
Not every DV360, Amazon Ads, or Yahoo DSP account automatically has access to Pinterest inventory. Contact your Pinterest representative or DSP partner to confirm your account is supported before planning your budget.
When the “Moment” Becomes Currency
I have been in marketing for two decades, and I have witnessed platforms try to “open up” to programmatic more than a few times. Most fail, or only succeed to a limited extent. The reason is simple: programmatic is not just a technical issue. It is a matter of trust — the belief that inventory sold through an intermediary layer retains its quality, remains measurable, and continues to deliver real value.
Pinterest is trying to prove just that. They possess an advantage many other platforms lack: non-overlapping intent. As the Moroccanoil case study demonstrates, just 1% audience overlap is a nearly unimaginable figure in the digital advertising world, where every channel seems to target the exact same group of people.
But that advantage is only valuable if advertisers know how to leverage it. And to leverage it, they need to understand that Pinterest is not a “shopping” channel in the traditional sense. It is a need-formation channel — and its value lies in appearing before users decide what to buy, where, and from whom.
Programmatic Deals do not change that nature. They simply make accessing that moment easier, more measurable, and more scalable. And in a market where attention is increasingly scarce, reaching the right moment — with the right message — is the most sustainable competitive advantage.
Have you ever tried bringing Pinterest into a multi-channel programmatic campaign? If so, what worked and what didn't? If not, are you willing to test a small budget to verify whether “Pinterest intent” truly differs from the channels you are currently using — or are you still skeptical that an image platform like Pinterest can drive real conversions? Share your thoughts below, because in this programmatic game, whoever best understands which moment is worth buying will win!
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