Rescue Campaign Puts 10 Abandoned Dogs on Tinder, Gets 2,700 Matches in a Week

Turns out, you can find puppy love on a dating app. Literal puppy love is on offer through Tinder thanks to a New York animal shelter and marketing interns at agency BBH. The agency's interns, participating in the Barn program, used the app to post pictures of dogs that need homes. "People strictly go to Tinder to find love, go there to find relationships and companionship," said Alexis Mood, one of the interns behind the campaign. "These dogs have something to give." The concept was part of an internship competition to create buzz around a campaign. The dogs come from Social Tees Animal Rescue. Doggy matching is not entirely new. BarkBuddy is like Tinder for people to find dogs that need rescuing. Doggy BNB, an Airbnb for pets, helps dog owners find care for their animals. Facebook allows pet profiles, which is how the BBH interns were able to connect them on Tinder, where you need an account with the social network. Mood said that they posted 10 dogs and got 2,700 matches in less than a week. On Tinder, users swipe right on pictures of people—or dogs—they like. If both people swiped right, then they match and can text each other in the app. Tinder, which launched in 2012, is owned by IAC, parent of Match.com. It has become a testing ground for marketers, especially not-for-profits like Amnesty International, which did a Tinder takeover campaign this year. Tinder was not aware of the dog rescue campaign, but has not removed it. The app can be a tricky place for marketers to plant their messages, a reality that Mood and the other interns discovered. Some Tinder users were not happy to see abandoned dogs showing up and some were surprised, she said. Some went on Twitter to comment on their confusion: “Why do I keep getting profiles asking me to adopt abandoned dogs on Tinder,” one person asked. Most of the dogs have not been adopted yet, and even if Tinder users like a dog they still have to go down to the shelter to formally adopt (the puppy doesn’t just come to your house like a date would.)

Performance Marketing

Rescue Campaign Puts 10 Abandoned Dogs on Tinder, Gets 2,700 Matches in a Week

Creative idea from BBH interns

Garett Sloane

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Garett Sloane