Dating apps are overwhelming and exhausting. The expectation of having a genuine conversation with multiple people you've never met, the immediacy of it all just becomes fatigue. In an effort to attract a younger demographic, a campaign that matches the attitude and cultural values of the times is necessary. 'Don't do Tinder.' was born out of an effort to remind people that Tinder is just a dating app. It's not that deep.
In this direction, we're building a stylistic world that adopts the over-the-top nature of throwback PSA campaigns to take on Tinder dating stigmas. The Tinder Swindler movie utilizes a pre-internet Stranger Danger adage: You may have access to a private plane but you also have access to scammers too. The good comes with the bad, that's just a universal concept.
So this campaign asks: if you're giving into fear mongering about things that are outside of your control, are you really living?
College campuses in 2023 are a very different place with lots to do and lots of distractions. For us to hold events targeted at college students, we need to do something a little unexpected. Utilizing 'Street Preachers', in this case hired actors as 'Tinder Advocates', we co-opt their guerilla, often fear-based or passive aggressive approach to spreading the word of the gospel.
Breadcrumbing is when someone gives you mixed signals and leads you on. In this case, breadcrumbing is a trail of small, breadcrumb-sized Don't Do Tinder stickers that leads to a party.
Nationwide, we'll throw a party called 'Don't Come. A Party by Tinder' in abandoned churches. We’ll partner with Liquid Death as a way to play up the stigma of "thirsty" users. It also helps that they're a very successful brand riding on the rise of sobriety with gen z and zillenials.
This is an inherently social campaign that will spark organic conversation. Instagram is already very familiar with the PSA vehicle. The content we created can be reused into snackable social. All channels will drive to the microsite to drive engagement. We'll also work with influencers and celebrities that align with the tone to create PSA spoofs.
