Among the generation of young folks that grew up with social media, Pinterest has almost become synonymous with the word "inspiration." Is the image-sharing platform about to expand its community even further?
Is Pinterest Going to Buy VSCO?
According to two sources that disclosed info to The New York Times, Pinterest has held talks to buy photography app VSCO (pronounced “vis-coe”). We do not know a deal price, as there's still a chance that the acquisition may not happen.
We also don't know the identities of either source, as both of them aren't authorized to speak publicly. Yet if Pinterest really were to buy VSCO, it would be a pretty big deal. The app has done much more than coin the "VSCO girl" trend of fall 2019.
VSCO currently has over 30 million users (with 2 million being paying members), over $90 million in funding from investors, and was last said to have a market value of $550 million.
Download: VSCO for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)
"We’re always meeting with different companies across the creative space at any given time and do not discuss rumors or speculation," said Julie Inouye, spokeswoman for VSCO.
Pinterest held its first advertisers summit in March, and the acquisition of VSCO would certainly make it more appealing to investors and other brands.
What is VSCO, and Why Is It Popular?
VSCO, formerly known as VSCO Cam, is a photography app for both iOS and Android devices. It was developed by the Visual Supply Company, which was founded in 2011 by Joel Flory and Greg Lutze.
After you've downloaded VSCO and made an account, you're free to take and edit photos to your heart's content. There's quite the selection of preset filters and editing tools, though the best ones are hidden behind a subscription that costs $20/year.
Most users seem to keep the app to edit their photos for other platforms (e.g. Instagram, Facebook, etc.), but you can also post your photos to your profile.
None of that composes a life-changing premise, nor one that the tech world has never heard of before. The difference between VSCO and the other competitors, however, definitely lies in its branding and marketing.
The app is much more focused on making high quality photo-editing more accessible than building the perfect social media network. Sure, VSCO has popularity metrics, like follower and comment counts, but its best features are inside the photo editor.
The Future of VSCO
Would VSCO be better off operating under Pinterest, or on its own? It's hard to say. The pandemic negatively affected VSCO just as much as most other businesses in 2020. An unfortunate 30 percent of its workers were laid off as a result.
It hasn't been all bad news, as VSCO acquired video-editing app Trash in December. Still, becoming a part of Pinterest—the app that had more monthly active users last year than Twitter and Snapchat combined—can't be a bad thing, right?
