Creative Brief: Hinge – Designed to Be Deleted
A look inside Hinge’s campaign targeting young people in metropolitan cities
These days, the majority of founder-led brands skip the research and strategy step needed to create the proper foundation for their ads and content. We might shit on old-school ad agencies but if there’s one thing we should learn from them, it’s the importance of real strategy.
PS. If you’re interested in learning the pillars of a great creative brief, reach out to us here. You can also watch Julian Cole’s YouTube videos. They’re insanely valuable. And they’re free.
For now, let’s look at how Hinge built their campaign, “Designed to Be Deleted,” and why it works so well.
We’ll break down the brief into essential sections, showing how strategy drives smart creative decisions.
Opportunity or Problem
Hinge needed to stand out in a crowded dating app market. They wanted a campaign that didn’t just gain attention—but that clearly articulated why Hinge users should delete the app: because they found a match.
Insight
The research showed that most dating apps targeted the swipe-happy, casual daters. But Hinge’s insight was rooted in meaningful relationships. The brief highlights emotional consumer data: people are tired of being “options”—they want matches worth deleting the app for.
Brand Message
With the problem and insights combine, Hinge’s campaign idea focuses on one human truth: when you get what you came for, you delete the app. Simple, direct, emotionally honest.
Tone & Brand Principles
The brief specifies tone, too. It’s witty, honest, human, never preachy or overly polished. It speaks just like we do. It had to sound like a friend giving real advice. Also note where the ad takes place. The setting is exactly where—and how— their users live.
Mandatories & Deliverables
The tagline usage, key campaign formats (social, OOH, video), and logo placement are all on-brand and cohesive.
KPI / Success Measures
Lastly, the brief closes with metrics showing the downloads, deletions, engagement rate, earned media, and brand sentiment lift. All grounded in quantifiable goals.
The brilliance of this brief is its economy. It has a sharp problem, deep insight, clear message, and measurable outcomes. Hinge is willing to lose users in order to help them find real connections.
Why this matters for your brand— If you’re building your website, email flows, or brand campaigns without a brief, you’re essentially winging it without real data. The fun part in creating campaigns is working with the insights you find and building effective ideas from there. Not the other way around.
If you want a copy of our simple 2-page creative brief, send us an email or a DM on Instagram.
Video courtesy of Hinge