For those of you who haven’t endured the highs and lows of being on dating apps, consider yourself blessed. And for those of you who have… I’m sorry. You’re not alone in this struggle.
Lately, dating-app fatigue has been a big topic of discussion, as singles are fed up and losing all hope of finding their forever. Dating apps such as Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble have seen a steady decline in downloads over the last few years. Dating-app users, Gen Z in particular, are frustrated with the online dating scene for a multitude of reasons. They are burnt out from the generic teeth-pulling conversations, feeling like a piece of meat at the grocery store, endless superficial swiping, and the humbling “most compatible” suggested matches. The digital age has impacted every aspect of life, but who knew romance would transform the way that it has?
Bumble, a dating app that launched in 2014, originally marketed itself as a “feminist” dating app. It stood out among its competitors because women were required to make the first move after matching with someone (in heterosexual relationships). It gave women the agency to choose who they wanted to create a connection with. Ten years later… the tides have changed.
It’s time for a change
Bumble decided to take matters into its own hands, combatting the decline in users by hinting at a rebrand. Back in April, Bumble deleted all of its posts and posted a carousel of vintage painting memes as a means to acknowledge women’s exhaustion in the dating scene. The caption reads, “Dating needs a wake-up call. We’re on it. Chapter one of the new Bumble is coming 4.30.24.” While there were various reactions to this hint of the rebrand, most people in the comments expressed excitement, intrigue, hope, and wonder.
Not long after, the “new” Bumble dropped. They introduced a new feature to the platform, where men could start conversations first by responding to selected prompts on a woman’s profile. The new Bumble feature was not necessarily new to experienced dating-app users, as Hinge’s model allows people to respond to specific pictures and prompts. The new Bumble was anticlimactic and a little disappointing, to say the least.
Bumble released an ad campaign to promote the rebrand. Two billboard designs generated quite a reaction, and not in a good way. One billboard mocks celibacy as a dating alternative with the tagline “You know full well a vow of celibacy is not the answer,” and the other mocks religion with the tagline “Thou shall not give up on dating and become a nun.”
Missing the mark
Despite the effort to be light, humorous, and playful with this campaign, Bumble missed the mark with its target audience. The campaign received enough backlash and criticism from the public that they issued an apology, donated money to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, and ultimately removed the ads from their global marketing campaign not even two weeks later.
So, where did they go wrong? We asked ourselves this very question at our latest Catalyst for Change meeting. Our team generally had a positive response to the advertisements. We actually didn’t mind the billboards and thought they were funny. But that poses another question: are we the target audience? Evidently not.
Current Bumble users are tired and drained from the interactions they’re dealing with on the app. Those upset with the launch claim that the new Bumble did not live up to the promise of the teasers. In addition to the letdown, many women felt called out for choosing to be celibate and thought the marketing was insensitive to what women have endured on Bumble and dating apps in general.
A cautionary tale
So, what can we learn from this? Was this a case of bad creative? No, not necessarily. Some people (like us) genuinely liked the ads. There’s a time and place for when this campaign would have thrived – it just isn’t right now. Between women’s reproductive rights being at stake, the 4B movement trending, and women feeling more empowered to advocate for themselves – the campaign did not stand a chance.
Bumble, originally branded as a dating app for women, is now being called a dating app against women — at least, that’s what current users are saying. This rebrand was done in-house, and Bumble certainly doesn’t lack women on the executive team, considering its original mission was to give women more agency in their dating lives. And yet, somehow, this recent campaign struck a nerve with many women — enough to have it completely taken down.
If anything, this just goes to show that diverse perspectives are needed at every stage of the campaign development process and that understanding your audience is critical to campaign success. Deeply understanding your target audience allows you to choose the proper channels, tone, and timing, making your campaign more relevant and impactful.
Anyway, if you’re looking to rebrand and don’t want to stumble while you’re at it, please contact us! We’d love to hear from you.
