Digital Agencies
OkCupid’s digital campaign #AllyOfLove in the times of virtual dating
NEW DELHI: The Covid2019 pandemic has changed the rules of the dating game and so dating apps have had to strategise ways for couples to meet online, converse and also find romance in it. The dating platform, OkCupid recently celebrated pride month 2020 with a lot of conversation-starting campaigns. It launched #AllyOfLove that celebrates all types of love, especially queer, and holds up the belief that everyone across genders and sexualities deserves to experience love equally.
While planning for the campaign, the dating platform came across interesting data and user insights which indicated how progressive and welcoming the OkCupid community is while spotlighting the need to rally around members of the LGBTQi community and show them support.
“For the month of pride, we wanted to understand our users’ views both within and towards the LGBTQ community. The data has been gathered through questions on the OkCupid app which new and existing users answer to inform the app AI to be introduced to meaningful and compatible matches. With 18 sexual orientations, 22 gender options and over 3000 questions on the platform we make sure you are matched with people on the same wavelength as you to help you to make meaningful connections,” shares OkCupid CMO Melissa Hobley.
This year, with social distancing, pride parades across the world have been cancelled, taking away an avenue for the community to celebrate their identity and for the larger populace to show their solidarity. To continue the celebration of individuality even if it means from a distance, OkCupid’s pride campaign this year encouraged people both from the LGBTQ+ community and cis-heterosexual members to be an #AllyOfLove.
“The campaign establishes the fact that at the heart of it, all of us are not very different. Across gender identities, sexual orientation and geography, our desire for love and the need to overcome societal odds are the same because it is so fundamentally human. Some of us, however, find it more challenging than others because of generations of prejudice. We wanted to further amplify queer voices with the motive of gathering solidarity and showing what being a true #AllyOfLove means. Hence, through this campaign, we urge everyone to stand up for love. It’s easy, it’s natural. Be an #AllyOfLove,” she says.
The campaign which received an overwhelming response with over 1.72 million views and counting. The campaign was amplified on OkCupid India's social and digital pages – YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. To further spread the word, the platform partnered with influencers such as Ankush Bahuguna, Benafsha Soonawalla, Ankita Kumar, Amala Paul and Reba John who answered questions on the theme of ‘Never Have I Ever’ game as was done in the campaign and declared themselves an #AllyOfLove.
During the pandemic, it found that millions of users are readjusting their dating lives. “We found out that matches on OkCupid have increased by 10 per cent worldwide since March 2020 – and conversations have increased over 20 per cent. In India, we witnessed a 26 per cent increase in conversations and a solid 12 per cent increase in matches on our platform,” says Hobley.
There’s also an increase in virtual dating. What would have been a casual coffee date or romantic dinner date night or long drive is now long hours of chatting, video calls and FaceTime, leading to meaningful conversations that spark an emotional connection – all from the safety of our comfortable homes.
“We at OkCupid believe that this form of virtual dating is ushering in a new era of ‘slow dating’ that’s been welcomed by singles. Around 85 per cent of users on OkCupid believe it’s important to develop an emotional connection before a physical one, so the switch to virtual dates has allowed these emotional connections to thrive,” she says.
There is less pressure on people to dress up for a date or hurry through knowing each other, which has brought back the best parts of courtship, says Hobley. By slowing down dating, millennials are discovering love through long, meaningful moments apart.
BENGALURU: For years, creative teams have learned to live with ambiguity. Vague comments, last-minute changes, feedback that arrives without context, clarity, or conviction. It became part of the job – something teams worked around rather than getting it solved.
But as we head into 2026, that tolerance is wearing thin.
Creative work today moves faster, scales wider, and involves more stakeholders than before. Teams are producing more content across more formats, often with distributed collaborators and tighter timelines. In this environment, guesswork is no longer a harmless inconvenience. It’s a cost – to time, to budgets, and to creative mindspace.
The real problem isn’t feedback, it’s how it’s given
Most creative professionals you see today will tell you they’re not against feedback. In fact, they rely on it. Good feedback sharpens ideas, strengthens execution, and pushes work forward. The problem is ‘unclear’ feedback. When someone says “this doesn’t feel right” without context, they aren’t just revising – they’re basically decoding. They’re guessing what the problem might be, trying different directions, and burning time in the process. Multiply that by a few stakeholders and a few rounds, and suddenly days disappear.
In 2026, when teams are expected to deliver faster without compromising quality, interpretation is a luxury most can’t afford.
Scale has changed rverything
Creative projects used to be smaller and simpler. A designer, a manager, maybe one client contact. Feedback loops were short, even if they weren’t perfect.
Today, the same project might involve internal marketing teams, agencies, freelancers, brand reviewers, and regional teams. Everyone has a say. Everyone leaves comments. And often, those comments don’t agree. More people reviewing work means alignment matters more than ever. Clear feedback isn’t just about being nice to creative teams, it’s about keeping projects moving when complexity increases.
Guesswork quietly wears teams down
One of the less talked-about impacts of unclear feedback is what it does to people.
When feedback is vague or contradictory, creatives second-guess their decisions. They hesitate. They overwork. They keep extra time buffers “just in case.” Over time, confidence drops. Ownership fades. Work becomes safer, not stronger. Creative energy gets spent on managing uncertainty instead of pushing ideas forward. And in an industry already grappling with burnout, unclear feedback adds unnecessary mental load.
Actionable feedback is a shared skill
Clear feedback doesn’t mean controlling creative decisions or dictating every detail. It means being specific enough that someone knows what to do next.
Actionable feedback answers three basic questions:
What exactly needs attention?
Why does it matter?
What outcome are we aiming for?
This applies whether you’re reviewing a video frame, a design layout, or a copy draft. The clearer the feedback, the fewer follow-ups it creates. In 2026, teams that treat feedback as a skill and not an afterthought, will move faster with less friction.
Tools shape behaviour (whether we admit it or not)
The way feedback is delivered is often dictated by the tools teams use. Comments buried in long email threads, messages split across chat apps, or notes detached from the actual work all contribute to confusion.
When feedback lives outside the work, context often gets lost. When it’s disconnected from versions and timelines, decisions get questioned. When it’s scattered, accountability disappears. More teams are starting to realise that feedback problems aren’t just communication issues, they’re workflow issues. How work moves between people matters just as much as the work itself.
From Opinions To Alignment
One of the biggest shifts happening in creative teams is a move away from purely opinion-driven feedback. Instead of “I like this” or “I don’t,” teams are asking better questions:
● Does this meet the brief?
● Does this solve the problem?
● Does this align with the goal?
This change reduces unnecessary back-and-forth and helps feedback feel less personal and more productive. It also makes decisions easier to explain and defend. As creative work becomes more strategic, feedback has to support that shift.
2026 Is About Fewer Loops, Not Faster Loops
There’s a misconception that speed means moving through feedback cycles faster. In reality, the most creative teams aren’t just accelerating loops, they’re reducing them. Clear, actionable feedback upfront leads to fewer revisions later. Clear approval stages prevent last-minute surprises. Clear decisions stop work from circling endlessly.
In 2026, efficiency won’t come from working harder or longer. It will come from designing workflows that respect creative time and attention.
Ending guesswork is a mindset change
Ultimately, ending creative guesswork isn’t just about better tools or processes. It’s about mindset. It’s about recognising that clarity is an act of respect – for the work, for the people doing it, for the time invested and for the mindspace used. It’s about moving from “figure it out” to “here’s what we’re aiming for.”
Creative teams that embrace this shift will find themselves not only delivering faster, but also enjoying the process more. And in an industry built on imagination, that might be the most valuable outcome of all.
