Dive Brief:
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Bumble showcases stories of the Black dating experience in a new six-part content series that launches on Wednesday, Aug. 10, on the brand’s YouTube channel, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
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“Luv2SeeIt” will release a new episode every other Wednesday, hosted by artist Teyana Taylor, and calls on Black artists, athletes, entrepreneurs and more to speak about topics like dating as a nonbinary person, sex and intimacy and dating profile red flags.
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The campaign looks to call attention to the need for diverse representation and follows a survey by Bumble showing that 45% of Black or African American respondents believe they would feel worthy of love if love within the Black community was better represented.
Dive Insight:
Dating apps have long been speculated to feed implicit bias and stereotypes, but Bumble’s latest content push and study aim to bring light to the lack of diverse representation and celebrate Black love stories.
The six-part series, “Luv2SeeIt,” will feature dating stories from popular creators like actress Madison Bailey, known for her role on the Netflix series “Outer Banks,” and rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs. Additional Black artists and personalities will be featured, including some who will share their own Bumble experiences.
The official teaser alludes to some of the topics that will be discussed throughout the series, including polyamory, love interests and red and green flags. The playful push, which invites guests to intimately chat in “The Rose Mobile” tour bus, is meant to encompass experiences that span various genders, sexualities and skin tones. The series was produced by Taylor’s all-women production company, The Aunties, and developed in partnership with Black-owned agency 19th & Park.
“Luv2SeeIt aims to recognize, reflect, and represent the Black community — my community — within our brand. I hope this series inspires all walks of life to continue making the first move in their lives,” said Christina Hardy, Bumble’s director of talent and influencer, in a statement.
The campaign follows a survey by Bumble revealing nearly one in two Black or African American respondents reported that they would be more likely to feel worthy of love if there was a better representation of love in the Black community within U.S. society. Findings also revealed one in three (35%) believe love in the Black community is not well represented in mainstream media, and one of the main reasons respondents feel they are held back in the dating world is because of a lack of relatability, per findings shared with Marketing Dive.
Bumble, known as the “female first” dating app, has frequently shone a light on the topic of representation. Last October it launched the #MyLoveIsBlackLove campaign in the UK after conducting research that found 57% of Black British people in the UK have experienced various forms of racism while on dates. In the 2020, it launched an in-app feature to help fund both Black Lives Matter and Pride initiatives. Other dating apps have launched similar inclusivity efforts, like Tinder, Bumble’s main competitor, which partnered with the Human Rights Campaign for pride month this year to protest bans on LGBTQ+ men donating blood.