Pinterest goes after Google with new search ad product

The social platform is partnering with brands like Home Depot, Target, Garnier, eBay and Barilla to introduce its first search ad product tied to keywords and brand campaigns. It’s a natural progression for Pinterest, which has evolved into an important search tool for consumers seeking ideas on anything from what to have for dinner to which sofa to purchase.

Pinterest gets a reported two billion search queries per month, which makes one wonder why it hasn’t introduced search ads before.

“People don’t know exactly what they want, but there is high commercial intent in our search queries,” Jon Kaplan, global head of partnerships at Pinterest, told AdAge. “Search ads on Pinterest will enable our marketing partners to reach those customers when they are in discovery mode.”