Many people were shocked that Pinterest, a “social scrapbooking site,” with no revenue now has an incredible $3.8 billion valuation. But CNN, not content to take a bubbly valuation sitting down, is on it. In the spirit of intrepid reporting, they went where they rarely go.
Well, unless they need to make their T-zones more matte. CNN didn’t just create a Pinterest account to see what all the fuss was about or to contribute to one of many already existing “Anderson Cooper’s Heart” Pinterest boards. No, they went straight to the presumed epicenter of Pinterest’s surging growth.
A visit to the makeup room at CNN’s New York studios explains it.
And then they went straight gonzo.
When the hair and makeup artists aren’t freshening up our anchors’ faces, you can find the women (and a couple of guys) cruising Pinterest for the latest and greatest in makeup supplies.
It’s hard to tell what CNN is surprised by more. That their makeup artists have free time that exists outside of the full-time task of combing brioche crumbs out of Wolf Blitzer’s beard or that there are makeup artists who are men.
When one of them finds a great review, you hear her yell: ‘Check this mascara out!’ and then the other makeup artists crowd around the computer screen to see. Beneath the photo of the mascara, the user posts details about the product and tips for using it.
This makes the California-based site attractive for major companies to create their own pin-boards to promote their products.
Now this explains why venture capital firm partners have underestimated Pinterest all along. The lack of access to CNN’s MakeUp Room and Makeup Women (and men) to fully understand the phenomenon. It’s time to starting taking it seriously, guys. Take a field trip.
