Case study
Measuring What Matters
Nielsen proves that Pinterest campaign drives sales & ROI for Alpro
Introduction
CPG meets conversion
Alpro, a household name in consumer packaged goods (CPG) and European leader in plant-based food alternatives, chose Pinterest to connect with health-conscious audiences in moments of discovery. The goal? Own those moments, and convert them into sales. Many advertisers value the platform as a strong channel for driving awareness and building brands. But does it also drive sales?
Objective
Turning inspiration into impact
Alpro’s goal was to drive profitable sales growth by owning key moments of their audience and guide them from discovery to consideration and ultimately to purchases. Pinterest, in turn, set out to prove the lower funnel power of its platform by commissioning trusted third-party measurement from Nielsen.
Challenge
Proving the offline sales impact of online campaigns
Alpro products are mainly sold through offline retail. Most campaigns built around awareness and consideration don’t aim—or claim—to directly influence sales. That’s what made this campaign different as Alpro’s team wanted to show that their upper and mid funnel ads could influence actual purchase decisions. So, Pinterest needed to prove that its diverse ad formats could deliver on performance KPIs, connecting not just with consumers envisioning ideal lifestyles but acting on them.
Solution
Creative formats meets trusted measurement
Pinterest ran a mix of engaging ad formats, including Quiz ads, Showcase ads, standard video and static Pins, designed to meet users where they are in their consumer journey. Nielsen then conducted a Market Lift study to measure campaign effectiveness, delivering a clear view of bottom-of-funnel sales impact.
Key findings
+3.2%
in-store sales lift
Alpro saw a significant increase in in-store offline sales across retail outlets in Germany.
2.6x
return on ad spend (ROAS)
Every euro spent worked harder, delivering more than double the return.
20%
Top performance in food & beverage
The campaign ranked in the top 20% of all Nielsen-measured sales lift studies within the EMEA food and beverage vertical, showing how Pinterest stands out in CPG.
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Multi-format validation
From interactive quizzes to video and static ads, Nielsen’s methodology proved adept at capturing the effectiveness across Pinterest’s diverse suite of ad solutions.
Results
The collaboration proved that Pinterest is more than just a place for ideas, it’s a platform where brand inspiration leads to real-world results. With Nieslen’s independent measurement, Pinterest validated tangible bottom-of-funnel impact for Alpro.
How it works
Nielsen conducted a Market Lift study, comparing in-store sales behavior of consumers exposed to the campaign versus a matched control group. The study validated Pinterest’s ability to drive measurable ROI across multiple creative formats and shopping behaviors.
Conclusion
Inspiration that converts
This Nielsen study sets a new benchmark in terms of digital campaign effectiveness in CPG. With creative execution from Pinterest and trusted measurement from Nielsen, Alpro proved that inspiring content can drive incremental sales among breakfast shoppers. For Pinterest, it’s further proof that engaging formats, aligned with audience intent, can deliver powerful performance outcomes.
I’m thrilled with our Pinterest campaign’s success for Alpro, ranking in the top 20% in the EMEA Food & Beverage sector. These results highlight our team’s dedication and strategic efforts. I’m proud of our collaboration and excited to explore new ways to engage our audience on Pinterest.
Katharina Esposito, Danone, Senior Connected Media Planning Manager DACH
More and more CPG advertisers are choosing Pinterest because of its full-funnel strengths. Our study with Nielsen proves that Pinterest isn’t just where people get inspired and discover new brands – it’s also a place where inspiration leads to real business results, like measurable sales. This kind of third-party validation assures advertisers of the performance potential of the platform.
Ludwig Brütting, Pinterest, CPG Measurement Lead
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