December 6, 2024
Advertising News

Bumbles apologizes after its controversial anti-celibacy ad

Dating app Bumble has issued an apology for running a controversial ad campaign that seemingly mocked celibacy and shamed women for not being sexually active.

The campaign was promoted heavily with the messages, “A vow of celibacy is not the answer” and “”Thou shalt not give up on dating and become a nun”.

According to Bumble, the ad was supposed to be a humorous take on those “frustrated by modern dating”. However, the company provoked the ire of social media users, especially women, for their insensitive approach to dating. People emphasized how Bumble’s ad was the exact opposite of empowering, and was instead trying to use shame to coerce women to getting back on the app.

Taking to Instagram, Bumble shared “a message to our community”, apologizing for the ad and promising that they have taken it down.

 

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However, this apology has also provoked criticism for calling out the alleged misogyny of the brand campaign, which most viewers felt had not been addressed as properly and explicitly as they’d hoped.

“Why doesn’t your next campaign focus on men changing their bad behavior instead of telling women to lower their standards and boundaries? I’d suggest some females on your marketing team,” a user commented.

“As a marketer, my secondhand embarrassment for y’all is strong. HUGE miss. Women are tired of the harrassment, gaslighting, abuse, and trauma we experience at the hands of men. Shaming us back into engaging with them will not work. It’s appalling that this company is managed by women who clearly have not read the room. I hope women continue to leave your app and others in droves. If anyone needs to be lectured or mocked about changing their behavior its MEN. Every woman i know has had many, many negative experiences on and off the dating apps. It’s not worth the time, effort and money and never was. BYE!” another wrote.

Bumble’s seemingly tone-deaf campaign has also provoked internet users to discuss the advantages of using outside creative agencies for marketing campaigns.

This controversy follows an already rough period for Bumble. It announced controversial plans to lay off around 350 employees in February, and its share price has fallen by roughly 45% since last July as young adults prefer making connections in person or independently via social media rather than through dating apps.