The sapphics have officially burnt out on U-Hauling, carabiners and scissors.
These symbols, which used to be community in-jokes, have since “gone pretty mainstream,” said Ashley Tick, Brand Director of sapphic dating app HER.
In its new campaign, “The Sapphic Restart,” launched in mid-January, HER moves away from what Tick called the “tired tropes.”
Instead, the campaign, which is running across TikTok, Instagram, OOH, podcasts and email, leans into imagery that speaks more specifically to sapphics, such as a surprisingly sensual shot of fingers in a bowling ball, alongside content that focuses on all forms of queer connection, rather than just romance.
HER partnered with queer-run brand communications agency I Am Female*, Tick said, because it wanted to make sure that whoever was designing the campaign really understood the innuendos and jokes within the community. (The asterisk in the agency’s name signifies inclusivity for everyone who identifies as a woman, as well as people whose identities fall outside of a binary gender.)
“If you know, you know,” said Annie Bartley, CEO and founder of I Am Female*. And if you don’t know, she added, “well, it’s not necessarily for you; it’s for our community.”
Just Sapphic Things
To ensure that its content resonates with its target audience, HER regularly surveys its users on what they’re looking for from a dating app and from a potential partner.
HER has also developed several “covens” — a nod to the witchy sapphic aesthetic and a playful “if you know, you know” reference — that serve as focus groups offering feedback on creative, messaging and app features. These covens span the queer community, from a basketball team to a trans-focused community group, which Tick said helps HER stay true to its mission of “building within the sapphic community for the sapphic community.”
According to recent surveys, just over half (51%) of HER users say they’d prefer meeting someone through community events, rather than online, and 80% say that a connection to the queer community matters in a partner. Meanwhile, more than two-thirds of users say they’re “recalibrating” or “easing back into” dating this winter, with many citing a desire for healing or emotional intimacy as their main reason for dating.
As a result, HER is focused on meaningful encounters rather than just swiping. “Yes, it’s a dating app,” said Harriet Phillips, Co-owner and Content Director of I Am Female*, but it’s also about “getting out and connecting” in person, in both romantic and platonic ways.
That ethos runs through HER’s product strategy as well.
As Tick noted, it can be hard for people who have recently come out or who haven’t historically dated women to find queer resources and events. HER’s new “listings” feature was designed to help by advertising in-person queer events happening around the world, like craft nights and sober social events.
Live and Yearn
HER also reaches its user base by refusing to shy away from messy emotions.
The out-of-home component of its Sapphic Restart campaign, dubbed “Everything Reminds Me of Her,” leans into the experience of yearning — which is an unusual focus for a dating app.
The messaging simultaneously highlights the experience of “looking backward” and being reminded of an ex-lover, said Bartley, but also the feeling of an ongoing crush, where both parties hesitate to make the first move.
Among sapphics, Phillips said, the concept of “everything reminds me of her” doesn’t carry the same negative connotations as in a more traditional “heteronormative view.” The sapphic community is often very interwoven, she said, meaning that a lot of people run in the same circles as their previous partners, and may even stay friends with them.
Instead of framing yearning as something negative, HER wanted to embrace it as the “big creative emotion” behind the campaign, Phillips said.
Ultimately, the campaign aims to position HER as distinct from the conventions of heteronormative dating by tapping into a newly emerging sapphic culture, which has its own jokes and expectations.
“There’s a huge queer women, sapphic, lesbian renaissance at the moment,” said Bartley. “This is our time.”
