Lumen is an over 50s dating app, and part of the Bumble group. With audience insight showing that daters aged 50+ wanted to be represented as more fun, sexier and generally ‘less cardigans and slippers’, Lumen briefed us to reintegrate over 50s dating with a Christmas campaign, the festive period leading into the New Year being a crucial time for sign-ups.
It didn’t take long to realise that Father Christmas was an over-50s icon we could harness to show how over-50s dating is evolving. We gave Santa a sexy makeover with a stylish festive shoot – and ran the racy imagery on a handful of billboard ads, knowing the pics would at least stir up a conversation, and could possibly even get banned. And they did.
Social mentions and media coverage exploded, including the Independent, MailOnline and Good Morning Britain, driving discussions about how over 50s are portrayed compared to younger men and women, boosting brand awareness, and leading to app downloads to more than triple over December and into the new year.
