Reentry

After a history-making IPO and a year of isolation that redefined human connection, Bumble wanted to position itself as the app to unlock the post-pandemic summer of love. This was a moment to set Bumble apart from competitors by helping the app take ownership of great dating experiences that aren’t just about finding a spouse or having a one-night stand.

Our work with Bumble was highly collaborative from the get-go, as we held multiple creative sessions with founder Whitney Wolfe Herd and the rest of the global executive leadership team. This collaboration represents how SpecialGuest does its best work: directly with visionary leaders at the helm of great companies.

Bumble asked us to capture the post-pandemic reentry moment in a way that felt uniquely them. They’re all about great dates and meaningful connections, which are made up of the little moments that give us butterflies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we missed restaurants, concerts, and dance parties, yes—but we missed handholds, light touches, and first kisses even more. So, we zeroed in on these butterfly moments and gave them the cinematic treatment on a large scale across OOH and video, featuring real couples and an original remix of the iconic CeCe Peniston track “Finally.” The campaign made viewers feel the feels and seek these experiences for themselves—on Bumble. It successfully tapped into the zeitgeist of that truly special summer. The week of launch, in July 2021, The New York Times came out with an article that might as well have been press for our campaign: "People Are Making Out. Everywhere." We also built the “Finally” campaign to stretch globally across a range of markets at different stages of beating the pandemic. We did it by honing in on human yearning and tweaking the message for each region. Each campaign also encouraged vaccination, reflecting the new vaccination badge in Bumble.