For a snack and 5 questions with... Jana Würfel from Pinterest

How can data and creativity depend on each other? And how can brands adapt your Pinterest Predicts approach? The answers to these questions (and many more) are available once a month in our snack interview, the Kitchen Stories business questionnaire.

• This time, answer Jana Würfel from Pinterest.
• As Head of Content & Creators is them responsible for generating locally relevant, organic content from creators, publishers, and brands on Pinterest.
• yours By the way, the favorite snack is vegan snack.

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#1 - Kitchen Stories and Pinterest have one thing in common: Both platforms combine data with creativity and want to motivate people to try out new things. Yet many marketers still believe that you have to choose one or the other. What are compelling reasons why data and inspiration are not mutually exclusive, but can even be conditional?

Data can give us helpful insights into the needs and interests of our target groups. On Pinterest, based on our users' searches, we can see early on what they are planning for their future or what they might want to buy. This is incredibly valuable information for brands. Based on these trends, they can tailor their content accordingly and inspire people to try something out with suitable content.

For example, we are currently seeing what people are planning for the holidays — recipes, looks, decoration, gifts and travel. With their content, brands and creators can already help plan and implement these ideas and support them right through to the purchase.

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#2 - A prime example of what can be created when you combine data with inspiration is your Pinterest Predicts, which are eagerly awaited every year. You say that you know what's next — how do you go about this and how can this process be transferred to our readers' brands?

Each year, we analyze search queries on Pinterest and use this data to derive the biggest trends for the coming year. Like no other platform, people use Pinterest to plan future plans, projects, and purchases. Every saved PIN and bulletin board are therefore also signals of what people will do in the future. On December 6, it's that time again and we will be announcing our Pinterest Predicts worldwide for the eighth time. So you can be excited!

#3 - On your company page, you'll find sentences like “It's different with us” or “This feed is consistently positive.” How can this be achieved today when the community decides and shapes? And why is it so important for you — even in a B2B context — to differentiate yourself through this characteristic?

Pinterest has always been a place for inspiration. People come to us to pursue their interests, plan projects, and shop for the products they love. And they do so in an environment that they find positive and inspiring. We're not about comparisons with others, or negative news, it's about you and your life. And in fact, 9 out of 10 of our users tell us that they perceive Pinterest as an online oasis.

We also know that such an environment is not created by itself, but that it must be proactively designed. We are continuously developing our guidelines accordingly. In 2018, we were the first platform to ban political ads. We also have no ads about weight loss and toxic body images. At the same time, we have strict guidelines against climate misinformation.

We also know that an inspiring environment is only perceived as inspiring when all people feel represented. As part of our inclusive product roadmap, we've introduced features such as skin tone selection and hair pattern search, which enable everyone on our platform to discover ideas that are right for him or her.

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#4 — Pinterest is the best place “to seamlessly turn inspiration into action.” An approach that also reveals a lot of corporate culture. How do you implement this philosophy within your teams and in your everyday working life?

Our mission is to inspire people to create lives they love. And that applies to our users as well as to our employees. Of course, we always have internal events and events where we get creative together and put ideas into practice.

The world's largest internal event is our KnitCon employee conference, where all employees worldwide learn new things from each other and from external creators and experts for a whole day — juggling, public speaking, fencing, baking pancakes or dog training. Every year, the hidden talents and passions of our teams come to light here.

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#5 - Where do you get the best food in the world? And what is it?

Not easy to answer! I love fresh, healthy options and fruits and vegetables in almost every form and at the same time I like variety. So I think that the restaurant scene in Berlin is really far ahead. There is really everything your heart desires here and it is usually at least even more affordable than in other big cities.

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Thank you so much for the interview.