Swiffer
How can Hinge rise above the crowded dating app market and stand out for real connections?
THE SITUATION
This wasn’t just a project—it was my capstone, the final challenge of my college years 🎓. And what better topic than dating?
Let’s be real—dating apps are everywhere. There’s an app for casual hookups, an app for serious relationships, an app for niche communities… and people just download them all. The problem? Choice fatigue. With so many options, dating apps start to blend together, making it hard for any one platform to truly stand out.
Enter Hinge. Unlike swipe-heavy apps, Hinge is all about “Designed to be deleted”—but how can they get more people to see them as the go-to app for finding real love? That’s exactly what I set out to uncover.
THE CHALLENGE
The dating app market is oversaturated, so Hinge needed a game plan to rise above the noise 🔊. My mission? Develop a full-scale marketing strategy to position Hinge as the top dating app for people looking for something real ❤️.
THE SITUATION
During the pandemic, the world went full digital mode—virtual worlds, NFTs, the metaverse, and gaming were the hot topics. Stuck at home, people weren’t just scrolling; they were immersing themselves in digital experiences. Every brand wanted in, but for Swiffer, the question wasn’t if they should join—it was how.
Procter & Gamble had dipped their toes into digital spaces, but Swiffer? Still on the sidelines, waiting for the right moment to justify the leap. The gaming world was thriving, but what did that have to do with cleaning? Turns out—a lot.
THE CHALLENGE
Convince the Swiffer team that gaming isn’t just a passing trend—it’s a massive cultural force with real business potential. Our job? Educate them on gaming and show them that Swiffer had a natural place in this space.
THE STRATEGIC APPROACH
As a lifelong gamer, I knew exactly where to start. Before diving into research, we put ourselves in the client’s shoes—what would someone completely new to gaming want to know? From there, we built a gaming 101 deck, packed with:
🎮 Industry insights—Why gaming is more than just fun and who’s really playing.
📊 Data-driven storytelling—Pulling reports to make a compelling case.
🕹️ Swiffer’s unique angle—Finding ways to make cleaning and gaming go hand-in-hand.
Then came the fun part:
We gamified Swiffer. We identified aspects of the brand that could naturally integrate into gaming—whether through mechanics, partnerships, or cultural crossovers. We pulled in examples from top games to demonstrate Swiffer’s potential and crafted a vision where cleaning up virtual messes could be just as satisfying as real life.
THE RESULTS
Our deck didn’t just land—it took off. The Swiffer team was so impressed, they started calling us the "gaming gurus." The agency even passed our work along to other teams and brands for inspiration.
But the biggest win?
Swiffer took our insights and launched a gaming-inspired initiative, gamifying a live stream event—a direct result of our strategy. What started as an education session turned into a brand-new way for Swiffer to show up in gaming culture.
Sometimes, all it takes is the right perspective to turn a mop into a power-up. 🎮