ZIINKLE
Integrated Communication Campaign
About
The ‘Spark Beyond the Screen’ campaign is an entry for 'IAA Big Idea 2022' marketing communication competition. This integrated communication campaign was developed by seven university enthusiasts forming a Fuse Agency. Through our 'Spark Beyond the Screen' campaign, we aim to realise Ziinkle’s ability to empower single Australians to rediscover the irreplaceable value of in-person connection.
Project type
Groupwork - Analysis of situation & stakeholders, communication strategies (paid, owned, and earned media), digital content and pitching.
Timeline
8 weeks
Deliverables
An integrated communication campaign report + tactics mock-ups
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My Role
I am in charge of all the creative mock-ups whilst actively extracting insights from both primary & secondary research (creative & design thinking).
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Fuse Agency
Here at Fuse Agency, we see ourselves as one; highly integrated, melted, and welded together. However, we also emulate the pent-up energy a fuse can hold. We are a group of Millennial and Gen Z women, and, Fused together, we embrace the boldest strategies and methods to ignite your brand.
We conduct rigorous market research to generate clear insights that cut through the noise and capture fundamental truths at the heart of the human experience. From there, our dynamic team is continually innovating and generating flickers of ideas that, with your input, could be turned into fireworks.
Thomas Edison, the inventor of the “Fuse” claims to have “never done a day's work in his life… it was all fun”. At Fuse Agency, fun is at the heart of everything we do because the freedom found in fun leads to innovative solutions for our clients.
Introducing Fuse Agency Team
Ziinkle Overview
Ziinkle is an Australian dating app with a difference. Founded in 2021 by Melanie Leahy and Elissa Alexander, Ziinkle enables users to make safe, genuine, long-term connections. Ziinkle’s Venue Search is a distinctly different, industry-leading feature that acts as a ‘heat map’ to allow users to search social venues for potential matches. The Venue Search feature transforms Ziinkle into a dating GPS that enables users to see where other singles are out and about, allowing them to match and meet in real-life, in real-time.
Ziinkle’s vision: ‘To bring back the spark of chemistry that can only happen when you meet someone in real life
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​The ‘Spark Beyond the Screen’ campaign will realise Ziinkle's vision by demonstrating to Australian singles the value that Ziinkle can provide as a tool to facilitate real-life connections.
Our campaign: 'Spark Beyond the Screen' Overview
The Ziinkle ‘Spark Beyond the Screen’ campaign is designed to light the fuse that revolutionises the dating app experience. The campaign enables Ziinkle to end the perpetual swiping and gamification of dating, by shifting back to the real world, where chemistry can grow, and genuine sparks fly. This campaign demonstrates Ziinkle’s value to singles by:
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1. Establishing Ziinkle as the go-to dating app for long-term connections by demonstrating its ability to foster genuine chemistry through real-life connection
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2. Showcasing Ziinkle’s industry-leading safety features by demonstrating their commitment to advancing consent education
3. Raising brand awareness and public support through a strategic nationwide roll-out of a cohesive combination of online and face-to-face tactics
Situational Analysis
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Overview
Issue: As emerging industry innovators, Ziinkle is faced with a lack of brand awareness and the hesitancy of Australian singles who are unaccustomed to a dating app experience that allows them to match and meet in real-life, in real-time.
Market environment: Ziinkle is entering an established market, alongside competitors that each have distinct brand messaging and a large user base. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in loneliness and a reliance on technology for social connection.
Opportunity: By communicating the value of in-person connection, Ziinkle has the opportunity to increase brand awareness, public support, and its user base. Ziinkle can alleviate the loneliness and frustration Australian singles are experiencing due to the unfulfilling nature of existing dating apps that rarely go beyond the screen.
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Ziinkle SWOT Analysis
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Ziinkle Competitor Analysis
An analysis of Ziinkle’s branding, features, and market position was conducted against four industry-leading competitors. This allowed the Fuse Agency team to gain valuable insights that informed the strategy of the campaign:
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1. Competitor apps with strong brand awareness and large user bases are at an advantage as their users can find matches with increased speed and decreased effort
2. All app user bases are male-dominant, suggesting that the male target audience may be the easiest to gain
3. The action of swiping generates a gratification/consumption loop that motivates users to prolong their activity on the app but does not necessarily lead to a positive user experience
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Contextual (PESTLE) Analysis
Political
1. Global upheaval due to Covid & climate & economic anxiety.
2. Distrust towards the media - discourse surrounding fake news heightened, or conversely, there was an over-trust in TikTok videos.
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Economic
1. Consumers are more willing to align their purchases with brands and people that reflect their values.
2. Hyper-awareness of a potential recession, fluctuating incomes, and global economic uncertainty.
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Social
1. Loneliness and increased social isolation led to negative consequences for mental and physical health.
2. Australians looked towards institutions to keep them safe and gaining public trust became vital to Australia's collective ability to recover post-Covid.
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Technological
1. Hyper-consumption and connectivity led to increased digital ties and footprints; technology became an escape from reality and an outlet.
2. High saturation of content and competition.
3. High expectation of usability for all apps.
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Ziinkle Stakeholder Map
Audiences Insights
Primary: Australian singles aged 25-54 who are looking for an organic connection and meaningful long-term relationship and live in major metro cities across Australia.
Secondary: Australian singles aged 18-24 and 55+ who are looking for an organic connection and meaningful long-term relationship and live in major metro cities and regional areas across Australia.
Research suggests that all target audiences are looking for genuine connections and compatibility, with an emphasis on life-long partners for Australian singles over 25. All demographics are however wary about the safety of dating apps and the legitimacy of profiles they match with and the dates they go on.
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Users Persona
Dating Playbooks
From the analysis and synthesis of these survey findings and winder market research, we present, Fuse Agency’s ‘Playbook for Dating in 2022’:
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PERFECT ON PAPER, BUT NOT IN REAL LIFE.
When asking the target audience about their online dating experience, one enduring theme kept emerging;
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‘His profile was literally perfect and we had all the same interests, I thought we were a great match… but after texting for a few weeks we finally met up in person and the spark just wasn’t there’.
Another interviewee who met her partner in real-life recalled:
‘I would never have swiped on his profile if I saw it on an app… he’d probably have pictures of him holding a fish or something…’
Similarly, most survey participants felt that their own profile did not adequately capture their personality. In the same way, the complexities of people can’t be expressed in a few prompts and pictures, there is an erratic unpredictability to dating, a spark that can’t be gauged through a screen. It’s the magic of meeting someone and just knowing.
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This insight resonated with all audience segments. We suggest Ziinkle use this powerful narrative in its branding.
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THE ENIGMA OF A STRANGER; BOTH SCARY & EXCITING
Millennials and Gen Z audiences have grown up hearing stories from their parents of the good old times when the cute guy at the bar held untapped potential, and on a night out strangers became lifelong buddies.
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However, people seem to be warier these days.
In an era of increased discourse around consent through movements like #MeToo and #TimesUp, high-profile catfishing stories, and overall greater awareness of stranger danger it's no wonder people are more hesitant to meet in real life.
In this evolving landscape of setting boundaries and consent, safety is top of mind for our target demographics. Similarly, consumers want to feel like the brands they use align with their values. For many users we interviewed, particularly those who fell in the Gen X group, their safety using Ziinkle was top of mind
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FINDING JOY IN THE REAL-LIFE CONNECTIONS
For many couples, the best part of a relationship is the comfortable daily routine; brushing your teeth before work, watching your favourite show together, getting a quick coffee and an evening debrief.
After the honeymoon period inevitably fades, it’s the amalgamation of little moments that consumes our lives. So what if we began where we intended to end? What if we could find a way to see if the chemistry and compatibility were still there, even in the light of day?
Goals and Objectives
Goal 1: Improve Ziinkle’s reputation among Australian singles as the leading long-term relationship dating app
Objectives:
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Raise awareness among single Australians aged 25-54 about the ability of Ziinkle’s Search Venue feature to help them find meaningful, long-term relationships (30% increase within 12 months).
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Increase positive attitudes among single Australians aged 25-54 regarding their inclination to use Ziinkle to find meaningful, long-term relationships (20% increase within 12 months).
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Increase the number of people attending ‘Spark Everyday Love’ events (60 attendees at monthly events for 12 months).
Goal 2: Leverage the consumer trust of Australian singles in Ziinkle’s safety features to promote a better appreciation of Ziinkle as the industry leader in safety
Objectives:
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Increase positive attitudes among single Australians aged 25-54 regarding Ziinkle’s safety features (20% increase within 12 months).
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Increase the number of Ziinkle users participating n the ‘Respect the Spark’ consent education initiative (15,000 users within 12 months).
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Goal 3: Demonstrate that Ziinkle is a safe and valuable tool that gives them the best of both worlds- digital and physical
Objectives:
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Raise awareness about Ziinkle's‘ Spark Everyday Love’ singles events among single Australians aged 18-54 + (30% increase within 12 months).
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Increase downloads of Ziinkle and Ziinkle Premium (50,000 downloads and 10,000 premium users within 12 months).
Key Messages
Connection &
Longetivity
Safety
Revolutionise Dating App
Our BIG IDEA
The Best of Both Worlds
The larger campaign ecosystem evidently surrounds our central idea of Ziinkle facilitating ‘love’ by serving the ‘best of both online & offline worlds.’
Our Proposed Tactics
Instagram & TikTok Campaign (social media) | Spark Love Beyond the Screen
In a world where the physical and digital versions of people co-exist, you can never truly limit yourself to only getting to know one side of a person. Which is why Ziinkle caught our eyes. It brings the best of both worlds - letting us experience the digital and physical versions of people, and we think everyone should see how vital that is in 21st-century dating.
So as part of our main TikTok campaign, we’ve presented couples with a list of anonymous dating profiles, both individuals in the relationship choose the profile that they would match with, and we reveal, based on this criteria, whether the physical, digital, or both features of Ziinkle would benefit them. As well as factoring in how they did meet, which will undeniably impact how our audience views the vitality of utilising both aspects of the dating world to find that lasting spark.
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This campaign will also carry over into Ziinkle’s Instagram where we target Instagram's predominantly millennial demographic. Details of our events, podcast topics, dating advice, and new features of the app, will all be communicated like this on our Instagram.
Users can also contribute to our TikTok campaign by using the hashtag #DigitalvsPhysical to test whether their relationships align digitally, physically or both.
Safety & Consent | Respect the Spark
To generate consumer trust in Ziinkle’s industry-leading safety features, Ziinkle will be the first dating app to offer users ‘consent education verification’. This tactic utilises owned media to offer users the ability to gain the verification symbol on their profile by completing a short, in-app consent education module. We recommend that Ziinkle undergo a co-design process with 'Consent Labs,' to get lived experience input into the design of their consent module and verification system drawing heavily on the voices of victim-survivors across different demographics and communities.
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Out of this process, Ziinkle could create:
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A podcast mini-series featuring the founders of consent labs and yourselves talking about the consent landscape from a personal and business perspective.
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A report documenting the co-design process Ziinkle and Consent labs underwent to guide other organisations hoping to explore consent in their organisations.
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And the consent module that anyone wishing to receive the consent verification symbol on the app will receive.
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An activation launching of the module and verification of the app.
The ‘Respect the Spark’ initiative increases consumer trust in Ziinkle’s safety features by raising the consent education of users and strengthening Ziinkle’s reputation as an industry-leading organisation that values user safety. As an industry-first, it will generate media attention that will attract new Ziinkle users seeking long-term partners with shared values.
Singles Event | Spark Everyday Love
The ‘Spark Everyday Love’ events add a novel twist to Ziinkle singles events. They diverge from the typically exciting activities associated with dating and bring dating back to real life. This is achieved through partnerships with venues typically associated with everyday ‘errands’ such as Ikea and Bunnings. This emphasises the value of finding genuine love in the real world that will carry into everyday life.
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Due to the novel and universal nature of the everyday ‘errand’ themed events, this tactic stretches to younger and older demographics. This widespread appeal is furthered by the common longing to find a long-term partner to spark fun into everyday - often mundane - life.
To raise brand awareness and build community, the events will be staggered in a nationwide roll-out across metropolitan areas- Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and regional areas- Bundaberg, Shepparton, and Alice Springs. To raise awareness in the event locations, local celebrities and influencers will be invited to participate and share with their audience.
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Events include refreshments and canapes and Ziinkle ambassador-led ice-breaker activities tailored to the demographic, event theme, and venue.
Out of Home (OOH)
Our out-of-home tactics, aligned with Ziinkle’s brief, whose bullseye target focuses on single females and males aged 25-55 living in major metro cities across Australia. A recent report by RoyMorgan highlighted that Gen-Z and Millennials are more likely to see and interpret outdoor advertising than any other demographic, with research increasingly proving that OOH is the most effective medium for brand recollection and awareness.
We propose the various Out of Home strategies that will bring our distinctive brand assets to life:
This Digital Large Format billboard will be placed across metro and regional areas with high foot traffic, owned by OOH advertisers JCDecaux, to reach a significant number of audiences at a consistent frequency. This traditional out-of-home advertising will help us firstly gain leverage in the market.
But Ziinkle, you are bold, and we want to impress you - our targeted demographic is only noticing out-of-home tactics that cut through the noise.
This unique build would trigger various activations on transit across metro areas. We would set up at bus stops, installing fairy lights, chairs, and tables, including flowers and a coaster so people can scan the QR straight to the app store, increasing your goal to reaching 50,000 signups.
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We would also engage in 3D Buildings, including on Bourke Street, Melbourne. This 3D billboard immediately captivates audiences, as well as effectively ensuring earned media.
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Finally, we know that now 83% of Australians are conscious about preserving the environment, as are we. As such, this carbon dioxide-absorbing out-of-home billboard is a perfect way to highlight Ziinkle’s corporate social responsibility.
Public Relations
Using Ziinkle's knowledge, alongside the insights we have generated, we will compile a report about dating in Australia that will be sent out to Australian journalists and news publications.
The report will focus on general dating app usage as well as forecasting dating trends. The report will allow news publications to pull data from Ziinkle, generating further awareness of the brand name, and the association with a data-driven report heightens brand integrity. This means that our facts and figures will support any promotional coverage.
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Podcast:
We know that multimedia approaches are effective, so we want our public relations approach to be more than writing on a page. A study by Edison Research revealed that Australia is the biggest podcast-listening nation on the planet, with 40% of Aussies listening to podcasts each month. The longer-form nature of podcasts allows listeners to fully invest in content and form a community, ensuring Ziinkle builds a personable relationship with users.
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The podcast would simply be called Spark by Ziinkle and would feature the two founders, Elisse and Melanie, in a conversation about dating in Australia. To kick it off, the first segment would be a continuation of the earlier partnership with Consent Labs, where Elisse and Melanie would chat with a spokesperson from Consent Labs. The development of a podcast also has the potential to translate to earned media, as the two hosts could make appearances on current popular podcasts, such as Fierce Girls and a Podcast of One’s Own with Julia Gillard.
Influencers Reach Out
Enlisting trusted opinion leaders and brand ambassadors to spread the word of Sparking Beyond the Screen is our surefire way to creating successful Ziinkle singles nights.
To target a range of age groups, genders and love searchers, when looking at influencers to work with Ziinkle, we aim for a wide scope of audiences. From previous Love Island contestants like Tina Provis to millennial love-advocates Konrad Bien Stephens, we’ve truly covered it all.
By engaging only a handful of these influencers – Ziinkle’s has a potential reach of over 1 and a half million users. Enlisting these influencers to promote events through Instagram stories, grid posts and TikTok creation will not only spread awareness of events but create trust between Ziinkle and potential attendees.
For example - Brittany and the Inspired Unemployed boys reach entirely separate audiences with Brittany channelling millennial women and the IE centred on Gen Z men. In addition to free tickets to Ziinkle’s events - expected of these influencers will be multiple story posts and at least one grid post with a call to action to click the link through to Ziinkle’s account and purchase a ticket to these bespoke events.
The influencers can describe the event wearing Ziinkle merch, with more creative key opinion leaders spreading awareness through TikTok skits like those of Mitchell Coombes and Abbie Chatfield, his partnership with Tinder.
Budget
The budget of $500,000 was a great starting point for us to work with. Initially, approximately $191,000 of this is dedicated towards planning and management, the human resources that help ensure our campaigns operate smoothly. Next, we have about $70,000 dedicated to program execution, with that including human resources and events hired.
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The remaining $239,000 is dedicated to ensuring our channel mix is as effective and widespread as possible without compromising the quality of production. Understandably social and digital media, out of home, and our events tactics have a slightly larger budget however we have maintained finances across our podcasts and partnerships to ensure an effective spread.
Timeline
As discussed from the brief, this campaign will be executed within a one year frame.
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Within the first quarter, we will aim to build Ziinkle’s brand awareness. In this phase, we focus on investing in media presence including social media, and billboards, building and promoting singles events, launching the in-app ‘consent verification’ feature, as well as gathering dating insights for future report.
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In the second & third quarters, Ziinkle will focus on retaining brand awareness and fostering brand interests. That is, by doing a monthly single event, starting monthly podcasts, going creative with OOH such as: setting up QR codes at bus stops, chairs, tables, reaching out to media, partners and influencers.
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Finally, the last quarter - this is where we go BIG with our tactics. Established tactics will continue, except, we will engage in a bigger OOH approach such as 3D buildings or the carbon dioxide absorbing billboard. We will invite bigger influencers and stronger opinion leaders to engage with our event and social media. By then, we will also have access to more & more publications and well-known journalists, achieving our goal of 50,000 conversions.
Media Ecosystem
The larger campaign ecosystem evidently surrounds our central idea of Ziinkle facilitating ‘love’ by serving the ‘best of both online & offline worlds.’
By utilising the mix of these media channels, Fuse Agency aims to strengthen Ziinkle’s brand presence, foster interests and ultimately, engage more reach and frequency for targeted demographics.
Conclusion
Spark beyond the screen aims to empower single Australians to rediscover the value of in-person connection, using Ziinkle as a tool to rediscover their spark. Our three dating insights align directly with our communication tactics, so that we can show Australia that Ziinkle is truly the best of both worlds.
We've done the groundwork, are you ready to light the fuse?
A quick look of us!
