BLK Dating App Launches Campaign in Support of Black Women
Contributed by: kellyseal on Monday, February 05 2024 @ 09:50 am
Last modified on Monday, February 05 2024 @ 09:55 am
Dating app BLK has launched a new ad campaign in support of black women, encouraging them to be their “authentic selves.”
The “New Year, Real You: #RealNotPerfect” campaign launched in January. The ad was created by Arxna in conjunction with BLK’s in-house marketing team, according to Black Enterprise magazine. The campaign is meant to encourage black women to be their authentic selves in all areas of their lives - professional, educational, and in their personal/ dating lives.
BLK also intends the campaign to challenge societal expectations and to create a “safe space” for black women to express themselves without fear of judgment, according to Black Enterprise[*1] .
The campaign features a video series where four black women discuss their experiences in dating and the workplace with BLK’s relationship and intimacy expert Marissa Nelson. The conversation delves into sensitive topics, such as hair politics, code-switching and workplace discrimination.
The videos are conducted interview-style, and the women share the challenges they have experienced when trying to be their authentic selves in 2023, as well as how they plan to better express themselves in 2024, according to the company’s release.
Sesali, a writer and one of the women featured in the ad, shared her experience at work: “In corporate environments, the standard is so limiting. Like I would come up with amazing ideas for certain clients, but I wouldn’t be trusted to be the person to present those ideas because I wasn’t deemed client-facing enough.”
“Black people need spaces that are exclusively for us because we are different,” Keyonna Jones, an artist from Washington D.C., says at the end of the video.
Another participant who is an influencer noted: “BLK honestly provides a sense of home.”
Jonathan Kirkland, head of brand and marketing at BLK said in the company’s release: "As a community that has played a pivotal role in shaping culture throughout history, authenticity is our most powerful asset. At BLK, we encourage all of our members, not just Black women, to amplify their unique brilliance.”
He went on to say: “Our message is clear: Be bold and unapologetically Black! Shed the filters, forget the stereotypes and let the world experience the true you.”
BLK users are invited take the #RealNotPerfect pledge in the app to receive a badge in their profile.
BLK is part of Match Group’s suite of apps and is the largest dating app specifically for members of the Black community.