As the most iconic brand in the category, 25 year old Match has high awareness, but it is hard to drive word of mouth against newer competitors. December marks a seasonal high for the dating category, however, not only did December 2020 kick off peak dating season—we were nine months into lockdown, which had a major impact on the way singles date and their mindset going into a new year.

PR was tasked with amplifying the creative entirely through earned media and buzz, leveraging the video to secure placements in top-tier national press.

Our objective was to build brand consideration through relevance during a key timeframe for the dating category, by earning video views, headlines, conversation, and buzz. The goal was to drive a key brand moment through creative assets to stand out from competitors and remain top of mind for single adults during peak dating season.

We all know in 2020 Americans overwhelmingly shared the experience of a “hard” year, but it was also a year where singles shifted to more intentional dating and were seeking more meaningful romantic relationships (per Match’s Singles in America study). Our approach was to connect to this shared cultural experience, as the whole country was getting ready to say goodbye to 2020.

The creative brief was simple: let’s bring to life what we’re all feeling through a humorous lens, while creating an optimistic look to 2021.

“Match Made In Hell” takes us through the whirlwind romance between the only two lovers who could possibly find love during the hellish year: Satan and 2020. Embracing humor, and nodding to the resilience of singles, the content created space for consumers to laugh at the dumpster fire of 2020, while inviting them to feel optimistic and “make 2021 your year.”

Americans overwhelmingly agreed on one thing last year: 2020 sucked. However, Match knew that the pandemic also served as a catalyst to drive singles to seek out more meaningful romantic relationships. Match wanted to lean into the groundswell of optimism that was bubbling up with the possibilities that awaited in 2021.

As an iconic brand synonymous with finding love, Match was poised to comment on the tough year through the lens of romance, but also to remind consumers that 2021 was a year to be optimistic about. The PR strategy leveraged this widely shared sentiment to create a brand moment that resonated far and wide.

Match Made in Hell was designed to earn organic engagement and reach, followed by supplementary content including outtakes and behind the scenes footage further fueling views, engagement and buzz. The completely organic PR launch was aimed to target adult daters in the US, ages 25-49.

Match Made in Hell was a film featuring Satan meeting 2020 on Match during this hellish year, designed to earn organic engagement and reach, followed by supplementary content including outtakes and behind the scenes footage further fueling views, buzz and engagement.

Phase one launched with early morning organic posts on YouTube, Twitter and Instagram, leveraging the reach of creative partners on the project, Ryan Reynolds and Taylor Swift, who kicked off the conversation. This phase relied heavily on PR, pitching within an hour of the content launch and focused on key outlets for our target audience, like People, Rolling Stone and Mashable, driving readers to view the film.

The supplementary content was designed to be slowly released across the first 48 hours to fuel coverage and conversation. Key content included a Couch Conversation with the two main characters, a Giphy page, and social media posts.

Phase two began on day three, with paid media focused on channels that could continue to earn conversation, targeting consumers aged 25-39 on Snap, YouTube, and Instagram. Phase three moved to more traditional paid earning reach through TV & Streaming, while we continued digital tactics.

We outperformed on all KPIs including earned coverage, video views, and WOM, while also seeing overwhelmingly positive sentiment.

In earned coverage, we received over 100 stories in the first 24 hours, quadrupling our targets. In total, we garnered 800+ media stories and 5 billion media impressions between entertainment, lifestyle, business, technology, and local and national broadcast outlets.

With views to Match Made in Hell, we saw 14 million earned views on YouTube alone and were trending on YouTube and Twitter in the first few days. To-date, the film has received more than 40 million views. This historic brand moment has become the most successful campaign in Match’s 25 year history.

We outperformed on all KPIs including earned coverage, video views, and WOM, while also seeing

overwhelmingly positive sentiment.

In earned coverage, we received more than 100 stories in the first 24 hours, quadrupling our initial target. In total, we garnered 800+ media stories and 5 billion media impressions between entertainment, lifestyle, business, technology, and local and national broadcast outlets.

Earned coverage drove views to the Match Made in Hell video, which saw 14 million earned views on YouTube alone and were trending on YouTube and Twitter in the first few days. To-date, the film has received more than 40 million views. This historic brand moment has become the most successful campaign in Match’s 25 year history.