Bumble apologizes for its anti-celibacy ad fiasco
Bumble apologizes for its anti-celibacy ad fiasco
Bumble’s new campaign was meant to relieve online dating fatigue. It gave critics another reason to feel exhausted.
The internet is ablaze over what users have coined “The Great Bumble Fumble” after the dating app ran a series of eyebrow-raising ads poking fun at celibacy. Now, Bumble is promising to remove the ads and make amends for its tone-deaf marketing push.
Last week, Bumble shared a now-deleted Instagram post promoting the controversial campaign. It included a photo of a neon-yellow billboard emblazoned with the words, “You know full well a vow of celibacy is not the answer.” Several other billboards in the same vein also popped up around the Los Angeles area, and the company even created a Bumble-themed nunnery for an accompanying video ad on Twitter.
The backlash was swift, with commenters across social media asserting that Bumble’s language invalidated womens’ sexual autonomy, the experiences of asexual people, and restrictions on reproductive rights. “Why doesn’t your next campaign focus on men changing their bad behavior instead of telling women to lower their standards and boundaries?” one Instagram commenter asked. A user on Twitter echoed, “Wild to me that in 2024, a dating app founded by a woman is shaming women.”
The anti-celibacy billboard is part of broader, recent rebrand campaign and the launch of new in-app features, including the ability for users to set dating intentions and broadening who can make the first move. The refresh was intended to “revisit and redefine what it means for women to feel empowered and in control of their dating life,” according to a Bumble spokesperson.
Indeed, Bumble’s founding premise is that the app prioritizes womens’ experiences by allowing them to message their matches first. However, many commenters have expressed that the recent ads de-center women by making their celibacy seem like an invalid—or even silly—choice.
This morning, the company took to Instagram with an official apology.
“To our beloved Bumble community: We made a mistake,” the post begins. “Our ads referencing celibacy were an attempt to lean into a community frustrated by modern dating, and instead of bringing joy and humor, we unintentionally did the opposite.”
The note goes on to recognize groups who may have been adversely impacted by the campaign’s language, including the asexual community and those who are celibate due to past trauma. In addition, Bumble promised to remove the ads from their global marketing campaign, to make donations to the National Domestic Violence Hotline and other organizations supporting women, and to give those partner organizations the billboard space that was originally purchased for the ads.
Bumble CEO Lidiane Jones and co-founder Whitney Wolfe Herd have both added the apology to their Instagram stories, though they haven’t made an official statement at the time of writing.
Responses to the apology have been mixed. Some marketing professionals and users have praised Bumble for its forthright approach, while others are vowing to boycott the app altogether.
The unfortunate campaign launched at an already rocky juncture for Bumble. Post-pandemic, many dating apps have been facing a slump in profits. According to The New York Times, Bumble and its main competitor, Match Group, have lost more than $40 billion in market value since 2021, and Bumble announced 350 job cuts this February.
The company’s recent redesign and marketing efforts are likely part of a push to reinvigorate its shrinking audience. In a statement about Bumble’s rebrand, Jones explained, “Many [users] have shared their exhaustion with the current online dating experience, and for some, that includes making the first move. We want to evolve with our community, shifting from a fixed approach to giving women more options in how they engage.”
Bumble’s celibacy ads might have intended to tap into women’s exhaustion with the online dating scene, but they appear to have only alienated the company from its core audience. While Bumble has committed to continue listening to feedback, it may take time to recover the trust that was lost though the backfired messaging.
Fast Company
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