Popular dating platform Hinge has just launched the fifth installment of its global campaign “Designed To Be Deleted,” with a series of ads starring actress and comedian Patti Harrison.
After getting “the OK to share,” Harrison quickly posted the full ad on her Instagram with a funny caption declaring that she “died a couple of months ago of natural causes,” and no one seemed to care.
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“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 made a meaningful effort,” Harrison said in a press release.
“As a comedian, this was something where I genuinely agreed with what they were doing. It was a chance to help make dating even better for people,” she added.
A Playful Approach to Love and Dating
This latest campaign, crafted by creative agency Wieden+Kennedy Portland, aims to encourage Gen Z and young millennials to date in real life, deleting Hinge after they find their match.
The full 100-second ad features the brand's mascot, Hingie, going to the afterlife after being deleted.
Harrison acts as the Oracle who welcomes all apps to the afterlife and facilitates their entrance to heaven.
Opening Hinge's version of the “Book of Knowledge,” she recounts Hingie’s life and why he deserves to go to heaven.
“Welcome, tiny app icon, to the Afterlife."
"You devoted your life to love, not for yourself, but for Rio and Jess. You brought this couple together knowing full well it would lead to your deletion. Enjoy your Afterlife,” the Oracle says.
Everything peacefully commences, with just a minor glitch when the portal doesn’t fully open; but chaos ensues when the lobby of the Afterlife is bombarded with dozens of recently deleted apps.
The campaign includes nine shorter versions, using the same format of the Oracle reading from the “Book of Knowledge,” while she humorously reacts to the stories of different couples.
“Your couple [Alex and Maria] is listed as ‘not each other’s type.’ How’d you manage that?” the Oracle asks in one version.
Each spot ends with “The Lost City” actress asking each furry app icon to “please enter,” showing Hinge’s logo and the title of the campaign:
“The Dating App Designed to be Deleted.”
In other versions, the eccentric Oracle, who perfectly suits the role, asks the recently deleted to “remove any remnants” from their body — hilariously ending with her letting them into the portal despite them doing exactly the opposite of what was asked.
By humorously focusing on the idea of finding love in person and then moving on from the app, Hinge's campaign aligns with its core proposition of facilitating authentic connections.
What's interesting is that all of the stories depicted in the ads are from real-life couples who found each other on Hinge.
“‘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,” Hinge CMO Jackie Jantos explained.
“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,” she added.
Originally launched in 2019, this latest iteration builds on the success of previous "Designed To Be Deleted" campaigns that resonated with millennial daters, making it “a top three most downloaded app in 2023 in both its core English-speaking and European expansion markets.”
The ad series will run on YouTube and other social media platforms across Australia, Canada, the U.K. and the U.S. starting today, and will also be rolled out on streaming platforms until early summer.
