Studio Brief 2 - Collaborative practice idea generation

After looking at different reviews for the Bumble app, research was then made into the different features that the app offers. This allowed for a further understanding of the way in which the audience are presented by the app and what aesthetic the company has decided to follow. By understanding the intentions behind the app, it would then be possible to generate ideas for an advertising campaign, that would be appropriate to the chosen target audience. We found that the core intentions behind the app, were to appeal mostly to the female demographic, as this meant they could have more control over who they meet on it. This feature was introduced as a way to prevent women from being harassed by unruly users. Through the introduction of the BFF and BIZZ feature, the app has extended its uses to meeting new friends and business partners.

As stated in the brief, the focus would be to create a campaign that focuses on the friendships and business partners, so that it can expand its potential. This would also mean focusing on the student female population, as they were the most likely demographic to use this type of app. Therefore, we began by looking at the things that may appeal to the target audience as a way to attract them through the campaign. For this, looking at influential women and popular role models would be one way to promote the female friendly approach and inspire audiences to discover more about the app.

Finding a way to apply this idea to the campaign meant looking at ways in which Bumble has previously advertised themselves to their audience. By looking at Instagram and other public advertisements it would be possible to gather inspiration for the campaign.

Bumble Honeys on Tour Campaign: In this campaign, Bumble launched a camper van campaign which toured the UK between February 17 and March 24, 2017. The campaign involves promoting the app through sales of merchandise, hosting night club events and photo opportunities in the Bumble bus, which were then shared via social media.

Bumble double-decker bus advert: Bumble created a full scale advertisement that covered a London double-decker bus, with the caption 'Be the CEO your parents always wanted you to marry. (Then find someone you like)' across the side. This shows that the ad was aimed at the female demographic with the intention of making them inspired to pursue a career of their own, rather than rely on a partner.

The Great Catch Campaign: In an attempt to highlight 'catfishing' online, Bumble launched a campaign in New York which involved providing the public with free catfish meals from a food truck, at popular intersections. This was branded with the app's distinctive yellow, black and white colour scheme and accompanied by hand-outs with inspiring slogans.

The Bumble Instagram account also consists of inspirational content, with several posts quoting successful iconic women. The account uses either simplistic block colours with sans-serif font or showcases inspirational posts involving particular activists. This style of marketing has made the app unique, in that it doesn't focus directly on the app itself, but rather the core intentions of the company and the beliefs it wishes to convey to the audience. By choosing to advertise themselves in this way, they are likely to gain following from many people that agree with these values, or who enjoy inspirational accounts on social media.