• by Sarah Mahoney , 6 hours ago

While plenty of Match Group’s dating apps arrange casual hook-ups, Upward users want marriage and family. A new ad campaign and brand refresh promises them just that: an unapologetic track to marriage and kids that even lets users sort prospects by how fast they want to get hitched.

“There was a clear white space within the category, even among the apps that Match Group owns, for a very clear and distinct path for people who want marriage and who also want the right way to get there,” says Lauren DeFord, Match’s director of brand marketing.

And if the campaign seems a little “trad wife” trendy, the company isn’t shy about it. "'Wanted for life' makes the pursuit of lasting love feel confident, human, and almost a little rebellious in today's world,” she says.

Upward launched in 2020 as FTH, based on faith-oriented communities. “While Christian singles remain at the core, modern courtship creates a broader invitation for people who share those goals,” DeFord tells Marketing Daily. That includes people who may not be dating with a faith-first approach, or who don't identify with a particular political identity or lifestyle label. “This is about people with a specific marriage-driven mindset.”

Gen Z’s relative reluctance to dive into traditional roles is well documented. A recent CNBC survey found that only 37% of Gen Z-ers see getting married as an integral part of the American Dream. And Pew Research Center reports that only 67% of U.S. high school seniors, polled in 2023, said they would most likely get married someday, compared to 80% in 1993.

Match’s ongoing research finds that 72% of Gen Z-ers do want to get married, DeFord says. And among those already on the Upward app, 99% of those 18 to 30 want marriage and children. And they want it fast. So the app now includes a Marriage Timeline, where members share when they hope to get married and look for potential matches that way. “For this audience, the future is not a conversation for later,” DeFord says. “It's part of how you choose from the start.”

Also new: Users can choose Chivalry Mode, “making the first move matter again by giving men a very clear role to message first. And then we let women be in control over what happens next -- they have 72 hours to respond or politely unmatch.”

The goal is to remove as much ambiguity as possible for these marriage-focused users, DeFord says.

The campaign is running across paid and organic social, streaming video and audio ads, with additional creative featuring real Upward couples who found lasting love on the app. Surprisingly, she says, Meta’s Facebook is the brand's No. 1 platform. “There’s really sort of a resurgence there for this target audience.” Ads are also running on TikTok and Instagram.

The new marketing effort, from Corner Table Creative, uses imagery and copy that draw on traditional -- maybe even stereotypical -- lines, like “Known to change a tire, not his feelings for you” and “Often described as wifey material.” It is built on visuals meant to shine in social media feeds, with “scrapbook-like, romantic imagery, and ring-inspired details to create something warm and distinctive,” DeFord says.

The ultra-traditional approach makes sense in the broader landscape, she says. “I’ve been at Match Group over 15 years, and when I started, one in five people met on a dating app. Now it's one in two. It is the No. 1 way people meet today.”

Tinder and Hinge are Match Group’s biggest properties, and the company's “Everyone Everywhere” division includes such brands as Match, OkCupid, Pairs, Plenty of Fish, Azar, BLKand Upward. “There’s always room to grow and give singles the platform built for what they're looking for,” DeFord says. “Love will never change, but the means to get there will continue to evolve.”