US-based dating app Hinge opened an online shop for new couples stocked with ‘Delete Day’ merchandise, commemorating when couples reach the step in their relationship where they delete the company’s app. Much of the merchandise in The Hingie Shop features Hingie, the mascot first introduced in the app’s pitch perfect Designed to be Deleted campaign. Items for sale include a Hingie-branded ring box, a bath bomb, a piñata, a pair of Vans, and apparel. Hinge is also selling a gold and diamond ‘delete day’ necklace, marking the date a couple deletes Hinge, for USD 500.
Hinge demonstrates self-awareness and more with its fluffy square of a mascot. Let’s dive in!
BRAND AVATARS. The Designed to be Deleted campaign turned Hingie into more than a mascot. As Hingie catches fire and gets shot with arrows next to couples, it hammers home that the app wants to be destroyed by users when they’ve found their partner. The marketing is working, the USD 100 piñata of the character has sold out. Hinge is among the rising number of companies bringing their brand to life via an avatar or character that customers can interact with: BBC viewers can chat with Beeb, Fortnite players smashed meat freezers alongside Wendy’s avatar, while Essence Cosmetics is teaching customers about their product via its virtual intern. If your brand was a living character, what would it be like? Can you use a brand avatar to unlock deeper engagement with your customer?
Long-term Relationships. With so many consumers meeting their partners online, deleting one’s dating apps is not an insignificant milestone. In the US, 20% of 18-34 year-olds have met a romantic partner on a dating site/app. Our very own Lisa Feierstein is among this cohort, having just married the guy she met on Tinder. She calls the moment she deleted her apps “the moment she knew she loved him.” (Cue the awws!) The Hinge Shop demonstrates Hinge’s efforts to retain brand recognition among users...even when they’re no longer users! The move also shows the currently-single that Hinge cares about helping them meet someone, not just log hours on the app. Your former customers are still your customers. How can you remain relevant and continue the relationship?
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