Melissa Hobley knows that Tinder is โ€œseen as the hookup app,โ€ but she revealed at the Variety Studio, presented by Canva, at Cannes Lions that the brand is taking a different approach. The app is re-centering marketing on โ€œthe storytelling of love in Tinder.โ€

โ€œThis is going to sound very controversial,โ€ said the brand’s chief marketing officer. โ€œWe’re talking about love at Tinder now โ€” the brand has never really done that.โ€ 

Hobley revealed that 40% of Tinder users are in search of a โ€œseriousโ€ connection, a market her team is currently tapping into by showcasing success stories of real people who have used the app. โ€œWe want to affirm who you are and what kind of connection you’re looking for,โ€ she said. 

โ€œThe best part of my job is getting wedding invitations and baby announcements,โ€ Hobley continued. โ€œWe’re using creators and influencers to tell those stories. That’s how we think of it: Showing up where Gen Z is sharing those stories of love. Be it queer love, a young couple, an old couple, a couple in Europe, a couple in Tokyo, or a couple in New York, that’s how we think about storytelling today.โ€

Hobley attributes the needs of Gen Z to the new creative scope of Tinderโ€™s marketing efforts. โ€œGen Z gets my creative juices flowing,โ€ she said. โ€œWhat are they watching? What’s happening tomorrow? Who are they following? How are they showing their sexuality? I think it’s such an interesting time with cultural relevancy, we’ll never be done on that part.โ€

She also divulged that artificial intelligence may be able to influence the scope of the app moving forward. โ€œThere’s areas where it’s obvious that we would not jump into with AI โ€”  chemistry,โ€ she said.

โ€œOne of the insights at Tinder is that people have a really hard time writing their bio. [What if] you start to share a few things and AI can spit out a profile bio for you in 10 seconds? Imagine if AI could help you find photos to put in your profile.โ€