Hinge's new campaign offers an authentic angle on modern dating
Plus: Nordstrom goes private, VC POVs on 2025 tech trends, and more 🗞️
Hello and welcome back to Brandscape!
Today, I’ll be covering Hinge’s new campaign, my pick for brands of the year, and more. Make sure to check out the survey at the end of this letter.
Check out this campaign 👀
Hinge’s new campaign, It’s Funny We Met on Hinge starts today. The campaign, which was co-created with Brooklyn-based agency Birthday, centers around seven short films featuring candid reflections from couples who connected on the app. Through this campaign, Hinge challenges the meeting in-person vs. on-an-app binary, featuring couples who inadvertently crossed paths in person earlier in life before eventually matching on Hinge.
“With It’s Funny We Met on Hinge, we hope to encourage daters to embrace the unexpected and extraordinary ways their own love story could begin.”
– Jackie Jantos, Hinge CMO
The creative direction for this campaign is on point. The vignette style of the videos provides an authentic feel, immersing viewers in the stories. I think this campaign is especially relevant for dating app skeptics. Hinge itself takes the backseat in the videos and positions itself as a platform that allows these natural connections to happen.
What sets this campaign apart is its realistic look at modern dating. It moves away from the picture-perfect, happily-ever-after narratives that tend to dominate dating app ads. It is a more accurate representation of how younger millennials and Gen Z approach dating.
I’m excited to see how this campaign continues to roll out.
Brands of the year 🏆
These brands blend functionality, strong creative direction, and great brand storytelling. Check them out ↓
Headlines of the week 📰
Nordstrom went private on Monday through a $6.25 billion deal. This comes after slowing sales and a failed bid for privatization in 2017. The Nordstrom family will now own 50.1 shares, and Mexican retailer El Puerto de Liverpool will own the remaining 49.9 shares. According to analysts, this move will allow the company to take greater control of strategic initiatives. I will be interested to see how this decision impacts the company’s ability to connect with consumers given the recent decline we’ve seen with other department stores.
VCs share the tech trends that will define 2025. From robotaxis to AI agents to crypto, VCs are keen on investing in emerging technologies in the new year.
Want your brand to get noticed? Be weird. This Inc. article highlights unexpected brand moments from 2024, including Auntie Anne’s perfume, Knead eau de pretzel, and Scrub Daddy’s collaboration with Dunkin’. I think this strategy of “out-weirding” the competition, as CEO of Goodles, Jen Zeszut calls it, is especially effective in keeping brands relevant, even if the products themselves are impractical. It provides a low-cost way to gain earned media.
Currently reading: Just got
’s new book, Hitmakers: How Brands Influence Culture, as a gift. I’m excited to discuss it on here!
As this year comes to a close, it would be great to have your input on marketing trends from 2024 and what you’d like me to write about in 2025. If you’d like to share your thoughts, feel free to fill out the survey below (it should only take 1-2 minutes):
Thank you for reading this week’s letter! Stay tuned for a 2024 marketing + brand recap in next week’s letter.
-Henry