Tinder swipes left on Gap's latest campaign

Seems like Gap and Tinder are caught in a lovers spat over Gap’s latest campaign.For its Spring collection, the iconic American clothing brand has launched an innovative "Micro-Series" developed specifically for the Instagram platform, telling a love story. In addition to Instagram, and other digital platforms, the love story was also to be released on popular dating app Tinder.In a statement on its site, Tricia Nichols, global consumer engagement and partnerships for Gap had said that the brand was excited to “further innovate its marketing approach and introduce a series that not only is inspired by social, but reflects its zeitgeist – where the lines between real and created events are increasingly blurring".While Gap was excited with the campaign, Tinder on the other hand was not as pumped.Tweeted yesterday by Rosette Pambakian,VP, corporate communications & branding at Tinder, the dating app would be shutting down the unauthorized campaign.https://twitter.com/RosetteP/status/563217076249034753According to Tinder’s terms and conditions, the service clearly states that the platform is for personal use only. It also adds that users may not use the service or any content contained in the service for “advertising or soliciting any user to buy or sell any products or services not offered by the company”. They also cannot use the service for social functions, or networking, for commercial purposes.As The Business Insider poignantly points out, maybe Gap did not actually ask for Tinder’s permission while advertising on the platform.Nonetheless, not all brands have been as unlucky in their relationship with Tinder as Gap has.Gillette recently had a successful piece of “research” done with the help of Tinder which defies the conventional rules of traditional advertising. Using Tinder, Gillette set out to test the theory that that having facial hair wasn’t a popular trait amongst the ladies. Meanwhile, Fox Entertainment also paired up with Tinder to promote hit comedy show “The Mindy Project”.