Tinder reimagines real couples' first texts in film starring Lana Condor and Evan Mock

Dating app Tinder has launched a new chapter of its global campaign, “It Starts with a Swipe,” featuring the first messages of real couples who met on Tinder and who are currently in relationships.

In a series of new video spots, the campaign draws on the serendipity of classic romantic comedies reimagined through the lens of modern dating. The spots showcase singles meeting in iconic rom-com scenarios, with dialogue inspired by the real first messages of couples who met on the app.

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This comes as audiences seek more authentic, meaningful connections in the post-pandemic world, where the younger generation of singles who came of age in virtual spaces feel a nostalgic affinity for the ‘meet cutes' of classic sitcoms and movies.

“Daters today are nostalgic for the meet-cutes they’ve seen in old rom-coms. But the reality is that the rom-com meet-cute is the exception, not the rule,” said Stephanie Danzi, SVP of marketing at Tinder. “A new relationship starts every three seconds, thanks to Tinder. This campaign celebrates those millions of relationships, and we were honoured to build creative work inspired by real first messages from real Tinder couples.”

The spots feature popular talent known for roles portraying familiar and relatable dating experiences of today’s young singles, including actors Lana Condor (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before) and Evan Mock (Gossip Girl).

By integrating real couples’ first messages, the campaign underscores the modern meet-cute as a digital-first experience, complete with all the excitement, awkwardness and sparks of any first interaction.

One of the video spots depicts actors Condor and Mock, reenacting a real couple's first Tinder messages as if the interaction took place in real life. Set in a library, Candor enacts a classic meet cute moment by slipping from a ladder, while Mock catches her just in time. Candor then fumbles over a series of words, with floating message bubbles revealing her actual typos from a Tinder chat.

The new “It Starts With a Swipe” video spots will run globally across digital and streaming platforms beginning July 8.

Alongside the new campaign, Tinder will also bring back its popular Single Summer Series for a second year in a row, including APAC markets such as Thailand, Vietnam and Korea. The series includes chaotic single parties where singles are invited to meet other singles, but only if they bring one of their Tinder matches.

“Only 8% of offline daters say it’s easy for them to find a date in real life, and so many missed out on opportunities to connect in the midst of the pandemic,” said Melissa Hobley, chief marketing officer at Tinder. “At Tinder, we want to empower our users to find meaningful connections that carry into real life.”

Tinder users in participating markets will receive in-app notifications inviting them to Single Summer Series events throughout the summer.

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