Hinge’s Designed to be Deleted campaign series just got a whole lot more fun. Wieden+Kennedy Portland have taken the platform to the gateway to the afterlife, where dozens of little Hinge app icons (Hingies) have arrived to receive the blessing of joy ever after.
The new campaign’s focus is on success in a quirky way – and at a time when success scepticism for dating apps is invading users, Gen Z especially. Match Group, that owns Tinder and Hinge among others, hit its peak two-and-a-half years ago – October 2021. Match Group reported in its most recent earnings report that paying users fell by 8% last year to just below 10 million.
By February this year, its share price had fallen 78% from $75 billion to $15 billion and Tinder’s annual downloads had dropped by more than a third from the app’s 2014 peak. The campaign has a big job to do.
In the two-minute commercial, Hingies line up to meet The Oracle (played by actress and comedian, Patti Harrison), who is responsible for reviewing the successful dating stories that led to the icons’ demise. This gives Hinge the opportunity to feature stories inspired by real great dates of Hinge couples. The couples are depicted through illustrations, from two people with the same name to a shared conspiracy theory about the existence of New Zealand. And one Hinge couple is featured live as they relive their deletion moment.
Harrison commented, “I’ve used Hinge before, and there aren’t many apps that are as accommodating to transgender daters. It’s great to see any app make an effort, but it felt like Hinge really made a meaningful effort. Also, as a comedian, this was something where I genuinely agreed with what they are doing. It was a chance to help make dating even better for people.”
The Designed To Be Deleted ad campaign was first released in 2019. This fifth iteration speaks to Gen Z and young Millennial daters. The short and long-form films will run in the US, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia on YouTube and across social media channels on April 9 and launched on streaming platforms throughout April.
Jackie Jantos, chief marketing officer at Hinge, stated, “Designed to be Deleted brings to life Hinge’s goal of getting people off the app as Hingie – our furry app icon – lives to die. We loved collaborating with all of our amazing partners in front of and behind the camera on this round of creative. It’s fun to celebrate real love stories from Hinge couples, and we hope these films bring some joy and encouragement to people on their dating journey.”
Credits:
Creative Agency: Wieden+Kennedy Portland
Executive Creative Directors: Azsa West, Felipe Ribeiro
Creative Directors: Darcie Burrell, Lawrence Melilli
Art Director: Maggie Paris
Copywriter: Ellen Miller Schneider
Director of Production: Orlee Tatarka
Executive Producer: Byron Oshiro
Senior Producer: Antonio Burnett
Producer: Devin Brown
Design Producer: Scott Meisse
Designer: Dave Hagen
Senior Strategist: Rachita Vasan
Media & Comms Planning: Emily Graham
Brand Manager: Leila Chee
Brand Executive: Kieran Yancy
Business Affairs: Amber Lavender, Nicole Smith, Karen Crossley
Traffic: Maisie Plew, Katie Hall
Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks
Director: Bine Bach
Executive Producer: Tom Farley
Line Producer: Jade Almond
Director of Photography: Rina Yang
Production Design & Art Direction: Andrew Reznick
BTS Photographer: Juliette Duffy
Editing: Spot Welders & JOINT
Editor: Robert Duffy
Assistant Editor: Charlie Harrington
Post Producer: Izzie Raitt
VFX Company: Kevin VFX
Executive Creative Director & Partner: Tim Davies
Executive Producer & Partner: Sue Troyan
Senior VFX Producer: Jami Schakel
VFX Coordinator: Connor Van Der Linde
Lead Compositor: Robert Murdock
Compositers: Steve Gibbons, Alex Kolasinski, David Jahns
Matte Painter: Ben Girdwood
Colour Company: Color Collective
Colourist: Alex Bickel
Music, Sound Design & Mix: Field Day
Sound Designer: Morgan Johnson
Audio Mixer & Sound Engineer: Morgan Johnson
Audio Producer: Leslie Carthy
Oracle Book Illustrations: Tara Booth
