Dating apps have been on something of a journey lately, with new brands entering the market that aim to cater to a wider diversity of desires, and tackle some of the negative associations with ‘swipe culture’.

This has left the original ‘swipe’ brand, Tinder, with a need to redefine itself for the changing times. Enter a new ad for the brand, which launched in the UK on Boxing Day to tap into one of the busiest times of the year for dating apps, as people look to the year ahead (or are just a bit bored over Christmas).

The ad is the brand’s first created for the UK market but forms part of a wider global campaign, titled It Starts With A Swipe, which launched last year. Whereas some of the previous iterations of that campaign have been broadly focused on sex, this new spot suggests Tinder as an option for those looking to find friends and companions as much as romance.

The narrative centres on Ava, who is lonely after moving to London, and turns to Tinder to try and meet people. The spot then shows the app giving her access to a wide circle of relationships, of all kinds. The ad is created by W Communications and directed by Jamie Whitby.

“When the brief came in, I’d recently gotten out of a long-term relationship and was pleasantly surprised by the sorts of experiences and friendships that Tinder ended up unlocking,” says Whitby, “so this project felt to me like one of the best briefs I could get: an opportunity to tell a story with a truth that I genuinely believed in at its core. Trying to stay loyal to that truth ended up becoming the creative engine driving this project: authenticity was absolutely everything – in casting, in performance, in production design, and shooting style.”

Credits:
Agency: W Communications
Executive Creative Director: Scott Dimbleby
Creatives: Joe Bishop, Gabby Griffin
Designer: Kieran O’Sullivan
Production company: Agile
Director: Jamie Whitby