When Bumble was founded in 2014, it was with equality in mind. The brand wanted to flip the outdated gender dynamics of dating by giving women the power to make the first move. While we will always do everything we can to support and elevate women, we want to apply that same level of passion and dedication to every human and marginalized community.
Bumble surveyed more than 1,000 U.S. respondents in June 2022 and found that nearly one in two (45%) Black or African American respondents shared that they would feel worthy of love if they were to see more representation of love in the Black community. Additionally, nearly half (45%) believed that dating apps play a role in how love in the Black community is depicted in society within the United States.
Additionally, numerous third-party data sources showed that across dating platforms, Black women have been historically fetishized, and there was a desire for the audience to feel loved, adored, and safe. In May 2021, Bumble made it clear that non-consensual fetishization is considered a form of sexual harassment on the app.
More than ever, Black women need to be deeply loved and adored. This campaign aimed to increase Bumble’s brand love, affinity, advocacy, and trust among Black audiences, specifically Black women.
This February, we wanted to showcase our continued commitment to celebrating the Black community by elevating Black women and generating a wave of positive conversation to capture the love that we have for these women: by tapping into not only influencers and creators, but real Bumble Success Stories – those who met their partners on the app.
We produced an original campaign called #LoveLettersToBlackWomen, and kicked it off with a vulnerable written tribute dedicated to all Black women, which was produced by writer/musician Jesse Boykins III and featured notable actor Keith Powers. Then, we identified an array of creators and influencers who love Black women out loud, and partnered with them to create their own #LoveLettersToBlackWomen content for their pages and Bumble's. Finally, we identified real people who found their Black woman partners on the Bumble app, and facilitated the creation of their #LoveLettersToBlackWomen video essays.
The release of the Keith Powers narrative video garnered 2.5 million+ organic views on Bumble’s TikTok page with 89.8k likes, 2,500+ shares, and 1,000+ comments. On Instagram, the video received over 56k plays with hundreds of heartfelt comments.
The Mosaic video garnered 2.1 million+ views on Bumble’s TikTok page, with 24k+ likes, 600+ shares, and almost 200 comments. On Instagram, the video received over 17k views. Each creator shared their personalized narrative stories, adding millions of views across the various platforms.
The ultimate sign of success was the reaction of Black women –because if we didn’t elicit an emotional response out of that group specifically, then we failed. We noticed countless heartfelt comments, tweets, and duet videos that prove this campaign resonated with its intended audience.
We were proud to extend this campaign beyond the digital space via integration within our “Bumble IRL” program, an initiative that offers our community the opportunity to connect with others in real life and over a shared experience – & Social Impact funding. Throughout February, Bumble and the folks at the James Beard Foundation hosted mix-and-mingle events at Black women-owned and led restaurants across New York City, Boston, Washington DC, Atlanta, Miami, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Austin, Denver, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
Bumble also contributed a grant to support Black Women’s Health Imperative’s Fair Work Initiative. The global initiative is a quantifiable solution and sustainable investment that combats racism, gender discrimination, and financial inequalities in the workplace, focused on the experience of Black women.
