On April 10, myself and nine other passionate students from the College of Arts and Sciences and from the Dolan School of Business attended an informational event with VML and Pinterest in New York City. This event was coordinated by Fairfield University in an effort to help students interested in marketing, advertising and design connect with members of a widely-known company such as Pinterest. VML, a media company specializing in international marketing and communications, provides services such as brand management, commerce and technology innovation and enhancing overall customer experience.
Hosted on the 15th floor in the Third World Trade Center, I believe we all felt relatively important to be invited to such an exclusive event. When our small Fairfield group finally met one another at Grand Central Station, I was struck by how much we had in common and how excited we all were to attend the event with Pinterest.
Quickly locating the train that would take us from Grand Central Station to our final destination of downtown Manhattan, we filled into an already overcrowded subway car. Departing the subway station and arriving at the Third World Trade Center was exhilarating. I was nervous for the networking portion of the event, as I wanted to make a lasting impression on the Pinterest executives.
After grabbing a quick bite to eat, we were finally ready to make the ascent to the 15th floor for the VML and Pinterest presentation. When we arrived, the VML office was bustling, yet our group was immediately greeted by various employees excited to begin the event. We were also kindly gifted an adorable bag of sugary candies, branded with the Pinterest logo.
Jenna Landi, the Director of Pinterest Predicts, warmly welcomed us to the event and invited us to sit in the front row to truly engage in the presentation. We gladly obliged and immediately took out our notebooks to take handwritten notes on, which impressed some of the Pinterest presenters.
Jenna Landi’s team at Pinterest Predicts are trend spotters, who search specifically for “authentic, actionable and durable trends” that transcend generations of Pinterest users. The attendees of this event were lucky enough to hear the predicted trends Landi and her team have formulated for this year. For 2025, trends such as fisherman aesthetic, nesting parties, aura beauty and pickle fix are just a few of the predicted trends that may become popular. Landi emphasizes that “not all trends are created equally” and some may become more noticeable as the year continues.
Next to the podium was Jason Wire, the Senior Manager of Creative Strategy at Pinterest. In this position, Wire says he aims “to bring everyone the inspiration to create a life they love.” Throughout his discussion, Wire explained five main points for both pinners and business executives to consider when utilizing a creative platform such as Pinterest– “embrace the unexpected, find your moments, shape the trend, extend the pin and respond to culture.”
Wire further explored the relationship between businesses and Pinterest. For example, Heinz, the food processing company known for its top-notch ketchup, partnered with Pinterest and, unexpectedly, tattoo studios when creating eco-conscious red tattoo ink. Pinners would search “red ink tattoos” on Pinterest and the newly-developed Heinz red ink would appear. This trend quickly caught on and tattoo parlors across the country began using Heinz ink to fuel the popularization of red ink tattoos.
Brett Goldslager, the foodie of the executive group, closed out the discussion by exploring the company’s relationship with food, as he claims “pinners power grocery.” According to Goldslager, food is the number 1 interest category searched for on Pinterest. Due to this statistic, Goldslager and other executives at Pinterest are currently working on a new feature: making advertisements shoppable and therefore accessible to shoppers looking for a quick and easy meal after a long work day.
As the presentation concluded, I left yearning to learn more about Pinterest trends and VML marketing tactics, in the best way possible. As the ten of us networked with various executives and discussed the portions of the presentation that interested us specifically, I felt extremely appreciative that Fairfield University offers their students the opportunity to attend an event such as this one. Saying this, the VML and Pinterest event was not the only trip Fairfield University coordinates for its students: “Stags in the City” is a College of Arts and Sciences initiative that organizes business networking events for Fairfield students year round.
I felt inspired departing the World Trade Center and riding the Metro North back to campus that evening following the VML and Pinterest presentation. If I had the chance to attend an event similar to this in the future, I would definitely go. Reflecting back on my experience, I loved how each Pinterest executive who spoke specifically mentioned one purpose– Pinterest is a “positive, purposeful and safe” platform built for individuals to explore their greatest potential.