Pinterest partnered with fashion and lifestyle brand Cotton On, and its philanthropic arm, Cotton On Foundation, and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation to extend their “Kinder, Braver Together” campaign onto the global visual inspiration platform. This partnership was Pinterest's first-ever collaboration on a Shopping Spotlight with a donation and social impact component, with the goal of supporting youth mental health by increasing access to mental health resources. This collaboration between Born This Way Foundation, Pinterest, and Cotton On Foundation leverages the organizations’ shared dedication to both youth mental health and fostering inclusive online experiences, and emphasizes the vital role of digital platforms in cultivating kinder, braver communities and nurturing the emotional wellbeing of young people worldwide.
The Shopping Spotlight, Pinterest’s section of expert-selected, trending products people can discover and shop, ran from Oct 10-15, showcasing the ‘Kinder, Braver Together’ limited edition products, ideas and inspiration for how users can personalize and engage with the products, and a curated selection of mental health resources.
A set of serendipitous conversations with Cotton On Foundation and Cynthia Germanotta (Lady Gaga’s mother and president and co-founder of Born This Way Foundation) at UNGA Week in NYC led to the Pinterest team learning more about the “Kinder, Stronger Together” merch drop and “Be There Certificate. Given our shared commitment and values around youth mental health, Pinterest was compelled to spring into action to find a way to support and amplify this initiative.
There were a few challenges to overcome: 1) The Shopping Spotlights format was a newer activation for Pinterest meaning there was no set “template” for this type of partnership. 2) This was Pinterest’s first time collaborating with partners around a donation and social impact component, with the goal of supporting youth mental health by increasing access to mental health resources. 3) The campaign was originally set to close within just over 2 weeks of initial conversations at UNGA week.
The campaign consisted of 5 key components that all required operational rigor and collaboration across 6 internal teams and 3 external partners to execute: 1) Identifying the right format for this partnership 2) Securing campaign assets 3) Producing original content 4) Curating inspirational, relevant content 5) launching Pinterest ads to support the campaign.
The Shopping Spotlight consisted of shoppable product Pins, exclusive-to-Pinterest videos, a Pinterest board of mental health resources, as well as content featuring Lady Gaga herself, which helped drive overall engagement. The Shopping Spotlight was promoted by Born This Way Foundation and Lady Gaga on X in a post that received more than 760K views. Raising awareness on Pinterest’s most highly trafficked surfaces for one week resulted in increased lift in impressions, engagements, website visits and revenue for Born This Way Foundation and Cotton On.
