Stop the Scroll and Design the Exit: Pinterest Executive Encourages Aussie Users to Get off the Platform
- The Marketer
- May 19
- 3 min read
VP of Global Creative Xanthe Wells throws the industry playbook out the window, urging marketers to put the lives of consumers first and the brand second
Pinterest is challenging the traditional attention-driven playbook by encouraging people to use time online more intentionally - by not coming to the platform to mindlessly scroll, but to find inspiration to live their best lives offline.
The position is a response to a shift in how people want to experience the internet both on and off platforms. More and more, users are trying to regain control by limiting their screen time, and ensuring their time on the platform supports their wellbeing. In Australia, this is especially true, with Pinterest ranking first among other platforms for its positive impact on users’ wellbeing.
Pinterest’s VP of Global Creative Xanthe Wells, shares that this moment is shaped by two seemingly opposite user trends that are working towards the same goal. On one side Gen Z are rejecting technology use, and the other where technology use has accelerated with the immense integration of AI:
"We're seeing two forces rise at once: one generation trying to reclaim life away from the scroll, and the rest of the world fervently adopting AI across everyday life. But those trends aren't opposites. They come from the same impulse: a desire to get back to what matters most – their lives offline,"
says Wells.
Wells highlights this as a defining challenge for marketers right now, noting that in the ‘intention era’, brands that get it right won't be optimising for increased dwell time; they'll be inspiring people to act by "designing the exit”. For Pinterest, this translates into creating an inspiring environment on platform that supports user wellbeing, enabling users to capitalise their time online as a reason to go offline.
While it may sound counterintuitive for a platform with 631 million monthly active users; Pinterest has been quietly reorienting its own platform and brand touchpoints around this philosophy, while most other social media platforms are optimising to keep everyone scrolling.
Pinterest recently brought this message to life through its latest brand anthem, which captures the freedom of a more authentic, pre-social media world.
The 60-second film "How did they do it?", which has amassed over 50 million+ views in three weeks, was produced entirely in-house by Pinterest's House of Creative. The creative features old home movies and family photos submitted by employees from their family archives. Its message is simple: ‘the best thing you can find online is a reason to go offline’.
This has been mirrored in recent real-world activations, including its experiential campaign at Coachella with a phones-free experience on-site, reminding people to be fully present in the moment rather than behind their screens.
Locally, Pinterest created its first live and legal wedding to launch its 2026 Wedding Trends Report in its Sydney HQ, giving participants the tangible opportunity to touch, feel and experience the trends in a unique way.
Designing the exit creates a more engaged experience
When the platform chose not to optimise for engagement via enragement, monthly active users grew, particularly Gen Z that now make up more than half the global user base. In Australia, 78% of users say they feel more positive after using Pinterest than before they started, 17 percentage points above the next closest platform. And 87% of Pinterest users say their time was well spent, compared to 60% on other apps.
Wells’ call to action for the industry is threefold: inspire people with a version of their life they haven't imagined yet, empower them to act, and then release them.
Wells continues,
"Everything we're putting out into the world, from the messaging in our latest brand campaign to our recent experiential activations, shares a common goal: to encourage people to create a life they love offline.
We invite people to use Pinterest intentionally, whether they're here for travel, fashion, beauty, or cooking ideas, to find a reason to put down their phones, go out into the world, and live more fully. Because we believe the measure of our success isn't how long people stay, but what they do after they've been inspired."
In an industry built on capturing attention, Pinterest is betting on something else: giving it back.
