Perfect Endings Don’t Require Perfect Beginnings in Hinge’s Love Stories Anthology

Love at first sight. Dancing in the rain. The perfect first kiss. Fireworks. Dare I say that for most of us, these classic romance tropes remain on-screen or on-page phenomena rather than lived actualities. Real love tends to be classified by unpredictability, imperfections, and the way it weaves through mundanity. It’s the often bumpy road and little misunderstandings that pave the way to meaningful connections. 

This week, Hinge released something…unexpected: A literary anthology chronicling the love stories of six couples who met on the app. The talents of writers Roxane Gay, John Paul Brammer, R.O. Kwon, Isle McElroy, Oisín McKenna, and Brontez Purnell, were enlisted and paired with the couples to interpret their experiences and explore modern romance. 

In partnership with Dazed Studio, the work aims to unravel the common clichés associated with love and romance, replacing them with real stories of ups, downs, ‘icks’, and everything in between. With BookTok driving a resurgence in romance literature, the campaign strategically taps into this cultural moment, using the power of narrative to highlight the complexity of connections made on the app. Launched on DAZED’s website, the print version will also be launching locally in New York City and London on September 9. 

LBB’s Tará McKerr caught up with Hinge’s chief marketing officer, Jackie Jantos, to find out what went into creating this campaign. 

LBB> Jackie, please tell me about the origin of this idea. How did it first come about?

Jackie> The beginning of a relationship is often not like what you see celebrated in rom-coms or Hollywood. Our team at Hinge wanted to celebrate the beauty of two people coming together in ways that were honest, and true – and featured real couples’ stories. 

We love telling the stories of people who met on Hinge. And we’ve been inspired by the recent boom in romance literature and the popularity of BookTok. With No Ordinary Love, we decided to release an anthology of love stories in collaboration with Dazed Studio that encourages daters to challenge the notion of ‘perfect fairytale beginnings.’ We want to celebrate the imperfect, beautiful love stories that happen every day.

LBB> The choice of contemporary literary figures to interpret real-life love stories is quite unique. How did you select these writers, and what do their perspectives bring to the exploration of modern romance that might differ from traditional advertising approaches?

Jackie> A key part of our marketing strategy is sharing the stories of real couples in the spaces and through the voices that feel most authentic to them. We wanted to tap into voices who would beautifully capture the nuances of these six couple’s stories. By providing enriching and compelling content to daters on Hinge and leveraging creativity and partners like these authors to reach gen Z, we hope we inspire curiosity and confidence in young daters as they go through the dating journey themselves. 

LBB> What was the strategic thinking behind using literary narratives to elevate these stories, and how do you believe this approach will resonate with Hinge’s audience compared to more traditional forms of marketing? Why was print the format you decided to go for?

Jackie> With gen Z, we’ve seen a real interest in visual and physical mediums that allow you to connect to the bigger world on a deeper level. Pair this with the recent boom in romance literature, and we were excited about the opportunity to create something totally new that would inspire and enlighten young daters.

LBB> The campaign focuses on challenging traditional romantic tropes and embracing the imperfections of real relationships. How does this reflect Hinge’s broader strategy in differentiating itself within a dating app landscape that often emphasises idealised notions of love?

Jackie> At Hinge, we have a single goal – creating fulfilling, in-person connections. We intentionally curate all of our efforts to reflect that mission. No matter what love or a relationship looks or feels like to you, we believe that everyone should be able to find it. That’s what really guides our decision-making at Hinge each and every day. 

Gen Z specifically is rethinking and redefining romance. They’re embracing non-monogamy, celebrating queer intimacy and exploring gender identity. Everything from our new product updates to marketing programs is guided by the real daters who use our app and how they are creating caring and intentional relationships. 

With Hinge's 'Designed To Be Deleted' platform, our marketing strategy revolves around sharing true stories from real couples that can encourage people to create a relationship with someone special. 

LBB> You work to deliberately move away from the ‘perfect fairytale beginnings’ that are often romanticised in the media. Why do you think it’s important for Hinge to push back against these clichés, and what impact do you hope it will have on how users perceive dating? 

Jackie> Dating clichés often paint an unrealistic picture of relationships, leading to disappointment and frustration. By showcasing diverse love stories, we can inspire users to be more open-minded and receptive to what their love story might look like, especially when going on first, second, and third dates. Through 'No Ordinary Love', we hope these six real love stories will be a gentle nudge for daters to uncover their own imperfect and beautiful love stories.

LBB> Dazed Studio, known for its cultural influence, played a key role in producing and creatively directing this campaign. How did this partnership shape the final product and what were some of the key considerations in ensuring it resonated with your target audience?

Jackie> Dazed keeps their hands on the pulse of youth culture, and as a media publisher, we were excited to collaborate on this particular project with them. 

With Dazed Studio, Dazed Media's in-house creative agency, we wanted to create a campaign that felt genuine and memorable, given gen Z's preference for visually engaging content. Their team’s ability to capture the nuances of modern relationships and understand the challenges and joys of dating helped us achieve the authenticity we wanted to deliver with this campaign. 

They also commissioned Brooklyn-based graphic and digital designer Elana Schlenker to design the zine, and T-Bone Fletcher, a British photographer and graphic artist, captured a series of intimate images that beautifully convey the spirit of each couple's story.

Fletcher also created an illustrated cupid character that challenges our perception of modern love stories by offering their unique thoughts and opinions on each narrative.

LBB> Do you have a particular favourite love story from the magazine? Why this one?

Jackie> One of my favourite stories is 'You Again' by John Paul Brammer. It tells the love connection story of John and Maura, who matched on Hinge, didn’t go on a date, and about a year later, they matched again on Hinge. It really showcases a perfectly imperfect start to a relationship. 

LBB> How can our audience read the love stories?

Jackie> The anthology is now live on No-Ordinary-Love.co, and 5,000 copies of our limited edition zine will be distributed in London between 23rd and 30th September!