Tinder is tapping into the evolving desires of Gen Z by spotlighting its Double Date feature through a novel marketing campaign – Double Date Island – designed to echo popular reality TV formats through creator-led storytelling. Revealed in a number of social media shorts over the past week and then announced yesterday on the 20th, Double Date Island brings eight real-life creator duos together in a villa in Ibiza, specifically invoking a tried-and-tested reality television show format.
The Double Date function, introduced earlier this summer, enables users to team up with a friend and simultaneously match with another duo. A single swipe from either pair opens a group chat between all four individuals, creating a more social and less pressurized environment for dating. Double Date Island seems to be a way to both push this feature and promote Tinder as a whole.
Tinder’s internal data shows an overwhelmingly youthful user base for this feature, with roughly 90% of participants under the age of 29 – which is roughly in the dead centre of the target audience age range for shows like Love Island, a similar dating and relationship focused show that has been has been overwhelmingly popular ever since its initial launch.
Over the course of a week, the eight participants of Double Date Island enjoy – and document – shared double dates filled with humorous, awkward, and authentic moments. These episodes, distributed via TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and BeReal, aim to mirror how Gen Z wants to date today: collaboratively, candidly, and content-rich.
Paolo Lorenzoni, Tinder’s VP of EMEA Marketing, explained that the campaign is grounded in the formats Gen Z already gravitates toward – entertainment, creators, and social narratives. “Double Date reflects a change in the way young people understand dating. For them, the priority is to have fun, be authentic and live shared experiences, rather than feeling pressure or being accountable.”
