Ryan McGinley shoots Tinder’s first-ever brand campaign

Ryan McGinley, the acclaimed photographer who first made his mark capturing free-wheeling Manhattan youth culture in images of his own friends, brings some of that unbridled spirit to Tinder’s first major brand campaign, created out of Wieden & Kennedy, New York. The effort features young people embracing their singleness with in-your-face verve and brazen copy to match: The campaign name, "Single is a terrible thing to waste,” displays over shiny-faced ladies smiling brightly, joining hands as they zip through a roller rink in one ad. “Single does what single wants,” reads another line positioned over a young woman and man climbing over a chain-link fence. The campaign also includes cinemagraphs and digital billboards depicting similar scenarios. The hashtag #swipelife accompanies each ad. “We had an epiphany when working on this that was right in front of us--why is society always trying to un-Single the single people?" said W&K New York Creative Director Laddie Peterson. "Being single is't this purgatory you're in until you pair up. It’s a really important time and it should be celebrated. I wish I had had someone tell me this when I was a young single woman." The campaign bows six years after Tinders debut. It starts running today in L.A., N.Y., Chicago, Las Vegas, Nashville, Dallas, San Francisco, San Diego and New Orleans. Wieden & Kennedy had also previously worked with McGinley on the Levi’ “Go Forth” campaign.

Ryan McGinley shoots Tinder’s first-ever brand campaign

Featured Stories