Wavemaker swipes right on Bumble’s global media business

Bumble has a new match.

The dating app owner has selected Wavemaker as its global media agency of record, Campaign US has learned. The account includes dating apps Bumble and Badoo.

Campaign reported in January that Bumble called an integrated global review for its media and creative accounts.

Wavemaker will help Bumble expand its presence in new global markets off the back of its recent IPO, including Western Europe, Southeast Asia and Latin America, while growing its brand in more mature markets such as the US, UK and Australia, according to a source close to the pitch. 

The agency has worked with challenger brands in the past, including Doordash, which it supported through its IPO in 2020. 

Bumble has surged in popularity during the pandemic, leading to an IPO in February that saw its shares pop 76% on its first day of trading. Bumble had more than 45 million monthly active users at the time of going public, 2.7 million of which are paying for subscriptions.

Online dating app use has increased dramatically during the pandemic as people are stuck at home, with Tinder breaking its record for swipes in a single day last March (3 billion), and OkCupid reporting a 700% increase in dates from March to May 2020. 

Launched in 2014 as a female-first dating app where only women can send the first message, Bumble’s brand is about female empowerment. The app was created by Tinder co-founder Whitney Wolfe Herd, who became the youngest American woman to take a company public at age 31. 

Wavemaker declined to comment. Bumble did not reply to requests for comment.