'Thursday' takes the stigma out of dating apps

'We met on Tinder!' – overused, typical, leaves room for judgement.

'We met on Thursday!' – totally normal response, totally normal day of the week, no questions asked.

It’s no surprise there's quite a bit of stigma and fear surrounding traditional dating apps.

Especially because of the over-abundance of horror stories that have come from users over the last decade.

It’s also no surprise that people are leaving ‘The Apps’ in hoards due to something called 'dating fatigue.' In case you're unfamiliar, this is a term used to describe the feeling of EXHAUSTION you get from relentlessly swiping through countless profiles. Because usually, that ends in no dates (and hours of your time wasted).

Then there’s the burnout from talking with too many people or getting stuck in-app talking but never meeting.

And I'm not just speaking from personal experience. The stats confirm the truth. Tinder, for example, has lost paid users for seven consecutive quarters.

These are the insights that led to the birth of a different kind of dating app – Thursday.

'What makes it different to the rest?' a weary crowd cries out.

Well, firstly, it only works one day a week. Guess which one?

George Rawlings launched Thursday from his bedroom in 2021, with a hope to make dating less complicated by narrowing the app to one day. In his mind, this would give users a sense of urgency to organise a date straight away.

He hoped it would cut down on the small talk that may:

1. Drag out, or

2. Fizzle out

The concept was an instant hit. The app got over 100,000 likes and helped love-hungry singles secure almost 7,000 matches in one day.

Why? Well, aside from all the reasons listed above, one thing we know about consumers is that they’re suckers for scarcity.

By restricting usage of the app to just one day a week, the brand generated more hype for the product.

This scarcity also adds another layer of excitement, because users eager to check out the app have to wait until a Thursday. With only 24 hours to use the service, they’re forced to make a decision quicker than usual. They know once the day ends, so does their chance to use the app.

Honestly, this seems like a positive step in online dating. With all the negativity surrounding ‘The Apps’, it’s about time we put some good old-fashioned enthusiasm back into courting one another.

Not only has Thursday created a unique product in a highly competitive space, the brand has some killer marketing, too.

Everything from hitting the streets with Guerrilla tactics to investing in clever OOH placements and taking over bars to let only single people in – they’ve got a keen eye for what’s going to create buzz.

Not only that, but they also then share all of this on LinkedIn. The brand documents the process of each campaign and transforms it into a story.

In this way, Thursday has learned to engineer attention.

The brand understands that single professionals who are sick of dating apps are on LinkedIn. By using the context of that platform, and taking advantage of an algorithm that favours native content, Thursday produces content that cuts through the rest.

I only have one tiny critique – let’s make the next dating app called At The Pub to make it even less conspicuous. Seed funding starts here (DM me for my CashApp).

-Sophie, Writer