Pinterest vs Snapchat

Pinterest unveils Visual Search Ads, bringing new performance advertising to visual discovery

Pinterest announced Visual Search Ads, a new performance advertising product, at Pinterest Presents 2026. The company also announced a new foundation for multimodal AI with NVIDIA.

Pinterest Launches AI-Powered Restyle Feature for Room Redesign

Pinterest has announced a new consumer-facing beta feature called 'Restyle', powered by 'Pinterest Intelligence', which uses AI to let users redesign their rooms. Users can upload a photo of a space and then use AI prompts to add, remove, or change furniture, decor, lighting, and paint colors. The feature is initially available in the U.S. and Canada, with a broader rollout expected next month. The partnership with Nvidia, revealed on Monday, combines Nvidia Blackwell GPUs and Nvidia Dynamo with open-source models to enhance Pinterest's visual search and AI capabilities. Restyle is positioned to help users visualize saved items in their own homes, potentially increasing the likelihood of purchase and completing the funnel from inspiration to purchase. The feature was teased at Pinterest Presents, alongside new advertiser tools.

• Pinterest launched 'Restyle' in beta in the U.S. and Canada.
• Restyle is powered by 'Pinterest Intelligence', leveraging Nvidia Blackwell GPUs and Nvidia Dynamo.
• Users can upload a photo and use AI to add, remove, or swap furniture, decor, and change lighting.

Pinterest Launches Visual Search Ads for Performance Advertising

At its 'Pinterest Presents' event, Pinterest announced Visual Search Ads, a new ad format placing ads in visual search results and Pin close-ups, targeting high-intent purchase moments. Leveraging Pinterest Intelligence, these ads support lower-funnel goals and integrate with Performance+, with a beta rollout across all ad markets. The Performance+ suite gained Priority Products and self-serve A/B testing, while App Promotion expanded globally, showing an 85% improvement in cost per install in early tests. Pinterest also introduced Restyle, an AI tool for home reimagining, and highlighted its 640 million monthly users and 80 billion monthly searches, over half purchase-oriented. Additionally, the company noted its tvScientific acquisition for CTV and expanded Nvidia partnership. Q2 saw 18% year-over-year revenue growth to $1.18 billion.

• Pinterest unveiled Visual Search Ads in beta for search results and Pin close-ups, leveraging Pinterest Intelligence and targeting high-intent discovery.
• Performance+ now includes Priority Products and self-serve A/B testing; App Promotion is in global beta with 85% lower cost per install.
• Pinterest reported 640 million monthly active users and over 80 billion monthly searches, over half for purchase intent.

Women athletes embrace creator playbook for income and growth

Women athletes are increasingly adopting creator strategies to supplement income and build their personal brands, driven by the growth of women's sports yet persistent pay gaps. Companies like Togethxr, co-founded by athletes, offer programs such as the Snap the Gap cohort with Snapchat, providing production resources and mentorship. Participants, including soccer player Michelle Alozie and gymnast Kyrstina Johnson, saw significant follower growth on Snapchat. This creator approach not only supports athletes during their careers but also prepares them for life after sports. The trend is supported by rising viewership and revenue in women's sports, with leagues like the PWHL and NWSL reporting increased YouTube engagement. Athletes also leverage social media to secure non-sport brand partnerships, as exemplified by Sarah Nurse's beauty content.

• Togethxr's Snap the Gap cohort with Snapchat helped seven women athletes grow their Snapchat audiences; Michelle Alozie grew 61% to 204,000 followers.
• Elite women's sports are projected to reach $3 billion in revenue in 2026, a 25% increase year-over-year (Deloitte).
• The PWHL reported a 77% year-over-year increase in YouTube viewership, and the NWSL reported 42%.

EU Plans Social Media Ban for Under-13s

The European Commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen, is proposing regulations to ban children under 13 from major social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat, with stricter age verification. The plan, to be formally presented soon, includes a gradual approach: 13-15 year olds would have supervised 'mini-accounts' limited to one hour daily, with full accounts allowed from age 15. Platforms must implement safer designs, such as preventing endless scrolling or autoplay videos, and face mandates on child safety certifications, default private accounts for minors, and restrictions on live streaming. German officials support the initiative, but experts highlight challenges in implementation and enforcement, including potential circumvention, impacts on fundamental rights, and competitive disadvantages for new platforms. The proposal requires approval from the European Parliament and member states, a process that may take months or years.

• EU Commission proposes banning children under 13 from social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat.
• 13-15 year olds would have supervised 'mini-accounts' limited to one hour daily; full accounts only from age 15.
• Proposal includes requirements for safer design features, such as preventing endless scrolling and auto-play videos, plus bans on addictive designs.

Snapchat launches Commerce Power Pack with dynamic product ads

Snap Inc. has introduced the Commerce Power Pack, a suite of four new commerce tools for advertisers, ahead of the Black Friday and Christmas shopping season. The tools include Dynamic Product Ads in Sponsored Snaps, Value Optimization, Third Party Web Optimization, and Omnichannel Optimization. Dynamic Product Ads use AI-driven recommendations to showcase catalog products in chat. Value Optimization targets higher-value purchases, currently in beta. Third Party Web Optimization allows campaigns to optimize against external measurement partners like Google Analytics and Northbeam, showing significant performance gains in tests. Omnichannel Optimization, in alpha, enables simultaneous optimization of web and app conversions. Early results from Northbeam customers show a 20% reduction in customer acquisition costs on Snapchat.

• Snap launched four commerce tools: Dynamic Product Ads in Sponsored Snaps, Value Optimization, Third Party Web Optimization, and Omnichannel Optimization.
• Dynamic Product Ads are available globally, while Value Optimization is in beta and Omnichannel Optimization is in alpha.
• In internal tests, Dynamic Product Ads optimized for 'Pixel Purchase' improved 7-day CPA by 22%.