White House enlists dating apps in vaccination push
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The White House is hoping that the urge to merge will motivate more Americans to get vaccinated, teaming up with nine of the largest dating sites to offer badges and other perks to those who have gotten their COVID-19 shot.
Why it matters: The White House has an ambitious goal to get 70% of American adults to have had at least their first vaccine shot by July 4.
Details: Different sites are offering various types of premium content such as boosts, super likes and super swipes to those who get vaccinated as well as ways for people to share their vaccination status in their profile.
- Those taking part include Tinder, OkCupid, Bumble, Badoo, BLK, Hinge, Chispa, Match and Plenty of Fish.
Between the lines: According to research from OkCupid, people who are vaccinated or plan to get vaccinated receive 14% more matches than people who don’t plan to get vaccinated.
Here's what some of the sites have planned:
- Tinder: Members will be able to add stickers to their profile including “Getting Vaxed” or “Vaccines Save Lives.” Those who get vaccinated will get a “Super Like” to raise their chances of being seen by a desired match.
- OkCupid: Daters will be able to add an “I’m Vaccinated” profile badge, and those who are vaccinated will get a free "boost" and can choose to be paired with others who are also vaccinated.
- Bumble and Badoo will enable U.S. customers to add a "vaccinated" badge to their profiles. Both apps will give credit toward premium features such as Spotlights and "Superswipes."
- BLK, a site for Black singles, will add a new “Vaxified” profile badge and give a free "boost" to those who get vaccinated and display the badge.
- Chispa, the largest dating app for Latino singles, will add a new “Vacunado” profile badge option and also give a free "boost" to those who are vaccinated.
- Hinge will encourage users to share their vaccination status on their profiles and give vaccinated users a free “Rose" — Hinge's way to show extra interest.
- Match: Members will have the option to add a new “Vaccinated” badge and give those who are vaccinated a free “Boost” to help them stand out on the app.
- Plenty of Fish: Members will be able to add an “I Got My Shot” badge to their profiles in early June. Those who do so can receive 20 Live! credits to use on the Plenty of Fish Live! streaming feature.
