Helena Bonham Carter Pays Tribute to 2020 Singles in Relatable Bumble Ad

Dating app Bumble pays homage to 2020’s daters in a relatable U.K. spot featuring the British actress Helena Bonham Carter, famed for her roles in Harry Potter, Fight Club and Netflix series, The Crown.

The 90-second ad, by London agency The Brooklyn Brothers, acknowledges that 2020 has been a particularly terrible year for daters.

It features Bonham Carter sympathizing with singles’ perseverance and siding with the ad’s female protagonist, who navigates questions about her love life from her family at Christmas and attempts a couple of disastrous dates.

The digital campaign is aimed primarily at women and was informed by research that shows one in ten people on Bumble say they face a lot of pressure from family and friends to be in a relationship this time of year.

“We wanted to make an insightful film that speaks to young women during this crazy year that’s been extra hard on singles,” said Cali Oliver, creative director at The Brooklyn Brothers.

The search for love has been hampered this year

“By showing the reality of the situation and laughing at some of the hurdles they’ve had to face, we hope to take off some of the pressures that singles might feel to be ‘coupled up’ at this time of year and leave them feeling optimistic about the ‘new normal’ for dating.

The campaign was also informed by Bumble’s research that found 71% of singles feel their dating life has been significantly impacted in 2020. Of those already dating, half of them said they didn’t feel confident about how to date, given the various restrictions in place to halt the virus.

Naomi Walkland, Bumble’s director of marketing for EMEA, added: “2020 turned dating upside down, and we admire the creativity with which people have been connecting on Bumble over the last year.

“This campaign celebrates the imperfect moments and the many ways single people have learnt to navigate a new world of dating, both virtually and in real life. As we wrap up the year, this is a reminder that we’ve all done our best and it’s not too late to make a first move.”

It’s not Bonham Carter’s first foray into advertising. The star featured in an ad for the Apple Watch Series 6 in September. As an increasingly frustrated narrator, she imagines a future where products have high tech functionality, only to be corrected to be told Apple already does that.

CREDITS:
Agency: The Brooklyn Brothers
Founding Partner & CCO: George Bryant
Creative Director: Cali Oliver
Writer: Charlotte Adorjan
Senior Creative: Hannah Drury
Joint Head of Strategy: Will Sansom
Senior Account Director: Georgia Dixon
Managing Director: Jillian Reedy
Producer: Sasha Mantel
Production Company: CAVIAR
Director: Cloé Bailly
Producer: Polly Du Plessis
EP: Sorcha Sheperd
Dop: Olan Collardy
Editors: Stitch
Editor: Flaura Atkinson
Music Company: Radford Music
Music Supervisor: James Radford
Chear: Grade
Colorist: Toby Tomkins
Post Production: No.8