Celebrities

Tinder is courting some TikTok influencers, hoping they will lure Gen Z users back to the app.

Tinder paid six influencers to try out the app and post a series of videos about their experiences from September to December, ahead of the new year (which is the busiest season for dating apps). The TikTok stars posted videos about using Tinder and how things went meeting their dates in person under the hashtag #theconnectionexperience.

According to Axios, Tinder's recent brand sentiment study found that people were more willing and interested to try Tinder after watching their favorite TikTok influencers talk about using it.

Bumble, the Austin, Texas-based female-forward dating app has announced its backing of a new documentary about the impact of abortion laws in the Lone Star state.

Zurawski v Texas is produced by Hillary and Chelsea Clinton’s production company as well as Hollywood A-list actress Jennifer Lawrence, and Bumble has funded a series of impact screenings in Austin beginning September 24th, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The company will also fund screenings at Alamo Drafthouse theaters across the country on September 25th to bring light to this issue.

Zurawski v Texas tracks the legal case in which 20 Texas women sued the state in 2023 because its restrictive abortion laws prevented them from receiving necessary medical care, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film follows attorney Molly Duane who is representing the plaintiffs, as well as three of the women at the center of the case, one of whom almost died from complications and suffered permanent damage that left her unable to carry a child.

Image: Tinder

Tinder has released new features and added perks in time for college students headed back to campus. The move signals the company’s continued priority to market to younger Gen Z singles.

One interesting perk is that Tinder will offer college students a 50% discount for any of its premium services of Plus, Gold, and Platinum, according to Tech Crunch. This comes after the dating app company has struggled to retain paying users, reporting a loss of 400,000 paying users in the last quarter.

Tinder also announced a series of updates to Tinder U, its in-app feature for college students to find others on their campuses to connect with. One new feature for Tinder U includes new badges to add to their profiles, such as graduation year, major, clubs they are a part of, and their fraternity/ sorority life.

Image: Bumble

Bumble has announced it is partnering with the New York Liberty women’s basketball team for the remainder of the season, building on its multi-year deal with the WNBA.

The partnership is intended to “create local opportunities for Bumble users and Liberty fans to connect over a shared love of women’s basketball,” according to Liberty’s website.  New York Liberty became the first team to get a spot in the WNBA Playoffs, and Bumble is serving as sponsor of home games during the first month of games. The dating app company will be hosting a singles event in the arena for fans and Bumble users.

Bumble is also featuring Liberty players in a new social media campaign, where Bumble users can get dating advice from Liberty players (as well as the team’s mascot).

Dating app Hinge has taken marketing its product to a new level by creating an online zine with stories of six real-life Hinge couples. The anthology series is written by literary stars like Roxanne Gay, John Paul Brammer, R. O. Kwon, Isle McElroy, Oisín McKenna and Brontez Purnell, and is titled “No Ordinary Love.”

According to Marketing Dive, the anthology plays into Hinge’s current marketing campaign of “Designed to be Deleted.” The campaign is meant to encourage people to get off the app and meet each other in real life, and that most love stories aren’t linear and straightforward, and that’s okay.

The anthology is live with a dedicated website (no-ordinary-love.co) and will also exist as an 80-page print zine that will be available in New York and London starting September 9th.

Image: Bumble

Dating app Bumble has launched a marketing campaign in India to highlight its new feature Opening Moves, featuring two young Bollywood celebrities.

According to The Times of India, the campaign stars Khushi Kapoor and Vedang Raina in a series of films, where Kushi asks Vedang questions like “what is your guilty pleasure?” and “what is your iconic date idea?” Opening Moves allows women to post a question to potential suitors, so Bumble’s ad is demonstrating the feature in a fun way.

The beloved Bollywood actors share personal anecdotes and talk about the changes Bumble has made, as well as the cultural shift of dating in India, where women are feeling more empowered and more and more people are meeting online.