While Facebook and Google have long been the twin titans for any digital marketing agency, savvy marketers know that size and reach aren't everything. In terms of selling products and services, a small -- yet inspired and motivated -- audience is often much more valuable than an audience that's large but indifferent. When it comes to social platforms, Pinterest (and Instagram) dominate that visually inspired and motivated market. While people might peruse Facebook for funny cat videos, news articles and political rants, they visit Pinterest to find visual inspiration. Pinterest (and smart brands) understand how valuable this kind of inspiration is in a marketing and advertising context. That's one reason why the platform is rolling out new tools to help brands monetize visual inspiration. How promoted carousel helps create more meaningful ad experiencesPinterest's latest move is the introduction of a new self-service ad format called Promoted Carousel. This new feature allows digital marketing agencies and Pinterest advertisers to use, for the first time, up to five images in their ads. The process works like this: Brands can use Carousel cards to feature five distinct images, titles, descriptions or landing pages, something that allows businesses to take a varied and creative approach. All while giving users more reasons (and avenues) to engage with their ads. Carousels then appear in feeds just like any other pin, and users can swipe through, or tap, the cards inside the feed. Carousel ads can be purchased three ways: By using Pinterest's ad manager suite, by the use of an I/O or via programmatic media trading through Pinterest's API marketing partners. These ads are designed to help consumers gain a more detailed understanding of the products and services being offered. Major firms, including REI, Toyota, Cheerios, Cover Girl, and Everlane, have used Pinterest Carousel in beta. According to Pinterest's internal numbers, the results have been encouraging: Cheerios saw an eleven point increase in ad awareness and a nearly nine-point lift in message association. Meanwhile, Everland reportedly tripled the clickthrough rate it achieved with standard Pinterest ads. Why Pinterest carousel provides brands with a competitive edge Pinterest has long maintained an important edge over its rivals in the social/digital advertising space: Its users are "closer to the point of purchase" than users on other major social platforms. People use Pinterest to find items to buy and things to do, to plan their purchases and activities and to share them with others. That's not the only reason why Pinterest Carousels are positioned to carve out a significant niche in the shoppable ad category, however. Observers also note that the technical specifications of the new ads will allow brands to tell more meaningful stories. Pinterest Carousels - and the new Max Width Video format -- will allow marketers to "use the full real estate" of users' phones by delivering more content across a larger space. Additionally, formats such as these are a natural fit for some of Pinterest's most popular content categories, including travel, food, fashion, and beauty -- all subjects that lend themselves to visual representation. By telling a multi-image story, brands can create more immersive ad experiences, while using the natural advantages of the Pinterest platform to their benefit. How BIGEYE helps brands derive max value from digital advertising We firmly believe that a modern digital marketing agency needs to combine extraordinary creative work with a nuanced understanding of markets and technology. If your business could benefit from that approach, please don't hesitate to reach out to our team of experts today!