B&TB&TB&T
  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Technology
  • Regulars
    • Agency Scorecards
    • Best of the Best
    • Campaigns of the Month
    • CMO Power List
    • CMOs to Watch
    • Culture Bites
    • Fast 10
    • New Business Winners
    • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • Jobs
  • Awards
    • 30 Under 30
    • B&T Awards
    • Cairns Crocodiles
    • Women In Media
    • Women Leading Tech
Search
Trending topics:
  • Cairns Crocodiles
  • Nine
  • Seven
  • Federal Election
  • Pinterest
  • AFL
  • Anthony Albanese
  • NRL
  • WPP
  • AI
  • Thinkerbell
  • State of Origin
  • EssenceMediaCom
  • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • Channel 10
  • Meta
  • B&T Women in Media
  • TV Ratings
  • Radio Ratings
  • Sports Marketing

  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.
Reading: ADMA Forum: Making Something Digital Analogue by Unplugging Pinterest
Share
B&TB&T
Subscribe
Search
  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Technology
  • Regulars
    • Agency Scorecards
    • Best of the Best
    • Campaigns of the Month
    • CMO Power List
    • CMOs to Watch
    • Culture Bites
    • Fast 10
    • New Business Winners
    • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • Jobs
  • Awards
    • 30 Under 30
    • B&T Awards
    • Cairns Crocodiles
    • Women In Media
    • Women Leading Tech
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.
B&T > Marketing > ADMA Forum: Making Something Digital Analogue by Unplugging Pinterest
Marketing

ADMA Forum: Making Something Digital Analogue by Unplugging Pinterest

Staff Writers
Published on: 31st July 2014 at 11:21 AM
Staff Writers
Share
3 Min Read
SHARE

When Michaela Brockstedt, former vice president of marketing for Westfield Group, discovered a correlation between the demographic of Westfield patrons and Pinterest users, she had an ‘Aha’moment.

“Instead of taking something traditional and making it digital, we decided we would flip the equation and take something digital and make it analog.”

At yesterday’s ADMA Global Forum Brockstedt and Cory Surovek, manager of common area design for Westfield Group presented ‘Pinterest Unplugged’ where the two discussed the the success of the redevelopment of Westfield’s University Town Centre (UTC) shopping complex in San Diego which incorporated a free standing, interactive, Pinterest wall.

“Westfield is redefining what it means to shop…it’s paying close attention not only to what you buy, but to the experience you have when you’re buying,” explained Brockstedt.

The facelift encompassed the idea of “resort as retail” which aimed to provide a luxurious experience for Westfield shoppers.

pin pin wall

When Brockstedt quoted research that showed Pinterest users and Westfield shoppers were predominantly female and fell within a similar age and socio-economic bracket. The research also revealed that Westfield shoppers loved Pinterest which Surovek said “was an added bonus”.

pinterest

“We realised that if we wanted to be talking to our core customer and our core potential customer, she was certainly using Pinterest,” explained Brockstedt.

In a bid to convene potential Westfield customers, Brockstedt led a team of designers, architects and creatives to build and integrate a full-standing, real-life, Pinterest wall as part of the complex development.

In figuring out how to incorporate luxury into the shopper’s experience, Brockstedt wanted to a way to engage customers, involve digital and have a fun, interactive space which improved the patrons’experience.

The life cycle of  the Pinterest Unplugged project was about six weeks. “When she first told me the time frame and budget ($US8,500), I thought she was crazy,” said Surovek.

Brockstedt was able to negotiate a larger budget by telling her superiors the installation could be dismantled and re-located to other Westfield centres. The final cost for Pinterest Unplugged was $US48,000.

The installation reached more than just the UTC Westfield patrons thanks to articles written by Mashable and others, which garnered more than four million impressions.

“Advertising is very expensive in San Diego, so being able to get so much coverage and having people do segments for our local news in front of it was just fantastic,” said Brockstedt.

“Shoppers would take selfies and share them on social media,” she added, which contributed to the project achieving scale.

The Pinterest wall was a hit. “People who did love Pinterest got really excited because it was real, you could touch it, there was something that made it human,” said Brockstedt.

30 reasons pinterest

Brockstedt has since set up her own branding agency, Brandsavvy.buzz where she applies insights from the Pinterest Unplugged experience.

Join more than 30,000 advertising industry experts
Get all the latest advertising and media news direct to your inbox from B&T.

No related posts.

TAGGED: Advertising Standards Bureau, Amplifi, Bob Garfield
Share
Staff Writers
By Staff Writers
Follow:
Staff Writers represent B&T's team of award-winning reporters. Here, you'll find articles crafted with industry experience spanning over 50 years. Our team of specialists brings together a wealth of knowledge and a commitment to delivering insightful, topical, and breaking news. With a deep understanding of advertising and media, our Staff Writers are dedicated to providing industry-leading analysis and reporting, both shaping the conversation and setting the benchmark for excellence.

Latest News

TV Ratings (17/06/2025): 1.5 Million Tuned In For Finale As Farmer Corey Chose His Wife
18/06/2025
The Future Belongs To The Bold
18/06/2025
UK Broadcasters Unite To Launch Single Advertising Marketplace For SMEs
18/06/2025
Accused Mushroom Killer Fuels Record Listener Surge For ABC Podcasts
18/06/2025
//

B&T is Australia’s leading news publication magazine for the advertising, marketing, media and PR industries.

 

B&T is owned by parent company The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.

About B&T

  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise

Top Categories

  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Opinion
  • Technology
  • TV Ratings

Sign Up for Our Newsletter



B&TB&T
Follow US
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Register Lost your password?