• by Amy Corr  @MediaPostOTL, August 10, 2021

Match began the summer by leaning into everyone’s desire to get out and work off some built-up sexual tension with its “Lick every stranger you can” campaign.

Now that summer is coming to an end, the dating app is debuting a new brand platform: “Adults Date Better.”

The new Match platform is based on research conducted by its agency, Mojo Supermarket, on Reddit’s Dating Over 30 column where users emphasized that dating as an adult sucks. Adult daters feel like leftovers.

“Reddit has two incredible and supportive communities that we hung out in while working on the campaign: r/datingover30 and r/datingover40,” said Mo Said, chief creative officer of Mojo Supermarket. “We mostly listened to the gripes adults had with modern dating, the attributes they looked for in a phenomenal date and what type of dating they were happy to leave in their twenties. We never interrupted the conversation or inserted the brand. Our goal is to build a better experience for serious daters. It starts with listening, not just randomly inventing features.” 

An OOH campaign launched in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Two postings are short and on-point, noting that adult daters “know liking IPAs isn’t a personality trait,” “they’ve got their sh*t figured out,” and “they’ll eat at a restaurant and not even post about it.”

Another posting might take you a bit longer to read. “You’re not 22 anymore. If you like someone? They’ll know. Not interested? They’ll know. You share feelings. And food. You know what you want and what you don’t. You’re over the bullsh*t (and that’s a good thing). Everyone loves to say how great it is to be young and in love. But dating as a fully formed, emotionally mature adult? Whole other level.”

A TV ad, running nationwide and in Canada, echoes the same sentiment that being emotionally mature is hot, and your past experiences and relationships have made you into the person you are: interesting. Fun fact: Said did the voiceover for the TV spot.

In addition to repositioning the brand, Match and Mojo added new product features within the Match app, including a “ghostbusting” feature that promotes accountability, helping daters close out conversations and not ghost prospects.
 
“We want to help singles in their thirties realize that they aren't leftovers, but the ones that got away,” added Said. “Adult daters have been overlooked for the longest time, and we want to show them some love by helping them find it.”