Dating app: True love can't be found in a checklist

Dating apps are based on an implicit assumption that finding a romantic partner can be reduced to a data-analysis task: matching with whomever meets a set of specific requirements.

While that concept is seductive, it's also reductive—overly simplistic and at odds with reality.

Sure, it can work. But a less discussed aspect of the whole dating-app game is that a strict set of requirements eliminates your chances of meeting a lot of people. And any one of those, while perhaps not your ideal partner on paper, might actually be your ideal partner in real life.

That's because in adult relationships, 'ideal' partners are made, not found. The best real-life relationships are those where people not only tolerate their partner's 'imperfections' but love them in spite of what they once might have considered a 'dealbreaker'. They accommodate each other's foibles and even delight in their differences as they build a life together. 

Such is the argument put forth in a new campaign for the dating app Coffee Meets Bagel, which suggests that people should 'Ditch the list' in order to find something real. The campaign, running in Hong Kong and Singapore, includes videos (below) and OOH ads that make use of the results of consumer surveys the brand ran recently. These found that on average young Hong Kong singles have 20 requirements on their lists, and young Singapore singles have 24 dealbreakers. Yet at the same time, 97% of survey respondents who are in relationships indicated that their partners don't actually meet their initial dating criteria. 

The campaign aligns with the app's distinguishing features, such as icebreaker questions it generates to get potential couples talking about stuff that matters.

The Hong Kong campaign was created by Plug Agency, and by AKA Asia in Singapore.

Ad Nut likes the entertaining and genuine videos in this campaign, which do a good job of showing people in all their delightful weirdness. It especially warms Ad Nut's heart to see the older couples who roll their eyes at each other, but with adoration.

Ad Nut does worry about the Hong Kong gentleman who seems overly concerned with cockroaches, however. Not sure what the story is there. Hopefully he finds a fearless partner of whatever gender he prefers who can help him fight off those six-legged beasties. 

Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. You can also check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame, or read about Ad Nut's strange obsession with 'murderous beasts'.