Bumble and BuzzFeed Host Virtual Dating Marathon

Dominic Whitlock 29th April 202029th April 2020

Bumble collaborated with BuzzFeed yesterday to host a 24-hour video dating event called ‘Virtual Connections’.

The two brands were aiming to show single people across the world how they can still have meaningful interactions while being stuck inside their homes.

A 90-minute video of 22 people having their first virtual dates was played on repeat on BuzzFeed’s YouTube and other social media channels.

Among the real Bumble users, there were also special guest appearances from a number of well-known personalities, including vloggers David Dobrik and Natalie Mariduena; comedian Loni Love; and reality TV stars Lauren Speed and Camerin Hamilton.

Bumble’s VP of Marketing told Adweek: “We’ve seen our members using video chat and voice calls more frequently. Our partnership with BuzzFeed was meant to help them have virtual dates more easily and meaningfully.

“We want to help our users navigate this time in a way that still helps them stay socially connected.”

The female first social app saw a 56% global increase in activity on its live call feature at the end of March, not long after the coronavirus outbreak was registered as a pandemic.

It has also been working hard to promote virtual dating, teaming up with filmmakers in the UK to produce a short video highlighting the dating experiences they’ve had while in isolation.