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Pinterest shares new insights in to the impact of banning weight loss ads in the app

by WarriorForum.com Administrator
3 replies
A new article on Social Media Today reports on something many of you will find interesting. The case study highlights how smaller changes and policy tweaks, in relative terms, can have a big impact on user behavior online.



Last year, as part of an expanded push to reinforce body positivity within its app, Pinterest banned all ads with weight loss language and imagery, which was a significant stance within the broader, visual-focused social media sphere. So what impact has that had, and has it helped improve discussion and engagement in the app?

Well, according to new data from Pinterest, it has had an impact, with 'weight loss' searches decreasing by 20% (May 2022 versus July 2021), while searches for 'quick and healthy meals' are up 65x, and 'healthy food motivation' searches have jumped 13x.

"When we implemented our weight loss ad ban a year ago, our hope was to continue building our platform as a safe and welcoming environment where all Pinners feel free to be who they are regardless of body shape or size. Now a year later, we are seeing a positive response from users, demonstrating the true impact such a policy can have on online behaviors and perceptions."
In fact, Pinterest has highlighted some interesting usage shifts:
  • "how to change your mindset" searches increased by +50%
  • "positive self affirmations" searches increased by 5X
  • "loving myself searches" increased by +36%
  • "accept your body quotes" searches increased by 3X
  • "body positivity searches" increased by 2X
  • "curvy body reference" searches increased by 5X

So, what do you think? Could seeing fewer ads that shame users for their size then lead to a more positive environment, where people can feel more comfortable exploring new trends and behaviors?
#ads #app #banning #impact #insights #loss #pinterest #shares #weight
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  • Profile picture of the author Artkantos
    Uff...delicate subject here, because it may lead to think (at least for what I'm reading here) obesity or overweight=okay. Self-love has nothing to do with accepting a unhealthy body condition, quite the opposite, loving yourself enough to take care of your body and your health! I don't think shaming it will do the work, but hiding the problem or even praising it definitely won't either!

    Disclaimer: It's what I can deduct from the info on this article, I'm not saying that these weight loss apps are even good for the end user, because losing weight it's just a small part of the health equation! A more complete study may result on the conclusion that the Pinterest audience is now more healthy thanks to other approaches IDK (but I doubt it)
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    • Profile picture of the author WF- Enzo
      Administrator
      Obesity is not okay. That's it.

      Originally Posted by Artkantos View Post

      Uff...delicate subject here, because it may lead to think (at least for what I'm reading here) obesity or overweight=okay. Self-love has nothing to do with accepting a unhealthy body condition, quite the opposite, loving yourself enough to take care of your body and your health! I don't think shaming it will do the work, but hiding the problem or even praising it definitely won't either!
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  • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
    Last year, as part of an expanded push to reinforce body positivity within its app, Pinterest banned all ads with weight loss language and imagery, which was a significant stance within the broader, visual-focused social media sphere. So what impact has that had, and has it helped improve discussion and engagement in the app?
    Apart from active users dropping from 444m to 433m over the same period?

    Quoting some cherry-picked percentages or multiples without supporting them with figures is meaningless. "Accept your body" quotes searches increased by 3X - is that from 2 searches to 6? The actual numbers aren't even mentioned on the Pinterest site as far as I can see, so this looks to be little more than a PR exercise playing to their audience.

    And, of course, there's no mention of how this has helped improve discussion and engagement. How could that be proved anyway?
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    Ever lie awake worrying that you might be the only person who doesn't know what FOMO means?

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