Hinge shares real (& messy) love stories in new campaign

Do dating apps really help anybody find true love?

I’m going to be honest with you guys. Maybe even call this an overshare, I don’t GAF.

Being in a relationship for the majority of my adult life, I (obviously) never had any of 'The Apps.' I couldn’t have even told you what the inside of one looks like.

12 months after an extremely sh*tty breakup, my curiosity was piqued. So I recently decided it was time I had a little squizz at what was going on in there.

When I tell you I was horrified (remind me, when did SOMF became a pick-up line!?)

I almost felt like a sacrificial lamb thrown into a pit of wolves.

And I’m not gonna lie, it lowkey traumatised me.

So, when I saw Hinge’s new ad 'No Ordinary Love' revolving around an anthology of real love stories inspired by six couples who met on Hinge, I audibly scoffed. As if.

But, because I’m better than that, I pulled myself out of being unnecessarily salty.

Because apparently, the dating app that’s 'Designed to be deleted' actually works.

And this is the basis of the entire campaign. 'No Ordinary Love' follows several Hingies to the afterlife (post dating app life) to showcase the platform's success in helping them find love.

This campaign features stories written by contemporary literary figures - Roxane Gay, John Paul Brammer, R. O. Kwon, Isle McElroy, Oisín McKenna and Brontez Purnell. The anthology sits within a dedicated website. It will also exist as an 80-page print zine available in New York and London starting September 9th.

As I flicked through the website, I could feel my heart thawing a little. Because, in all honesty, it’s epic. From the production, to the stories themselves, to the creative direction (done by one of my favourite lifestyle magazines, Dazed), it's flawless.

'No Ordinary Love' comes at a perfect time.

Right now, we're seeing the rise of romance literature on #BookTok. So it makes sense the app would tap into this trend in an attempt to capture new audiences and potential collaborators.

'There are really dynamic conversations happening around literature and romance literature, specifically. The long-format storytelling approach of a zine was really interesting to us, and we wanted to lean into trying to work with creators in a new way.' Jackie Jantos, Hinge CMO told Marketing Dive.

'It’s an interesting way to keep the story fresh, show people that there are lots of opportunities for meeting on Hinge and show people that we are a brand that is in service of Gen Z and young daters. In many ways, we’re always innovating in how we reach this audience, how we engage with them and how we’re useful to them.'

As you can tell, I was initially up to my eyeballs in scepticism before reading further into the campaign. However, I seem to have been slightly warmed up, because it’s done so damn tastefully.

One of my favourite stories in the anthology is called 'You Again.' The piece, written by John Paul Brammer, follows John and Maura, a couple who matched on Hinge. At first, they didn’t end up dating. But about a year later, they were matched again, re-sparking their initial flame.

The whole campaign hones in on the fact that meeting and dating looks different for everyone.

No two couples are the same. It all can seem a bit messy and imperfect. And, at the risk of sounding like a hopeless romantic, that’s where the beauty of it lies.

Championing this brings out a really honest and authentic feel to the campaign that many dating apps fail to encompass. Many are so caught up in selling the dream of what could be, not what online dating really is. That is, a non-linear and sometimes confusing world to navigate, with an invaluable (albeit uncertain) end result – connection.

Will it be enough to convert Gen Z? Maybe so. Is it enough to convert me? That’s TBC.

-Sophie, Writer