This is an example of Romance Appeal.

Context: This is a picture I took of an ad on the MTA that is part of OK Cupid’s “Every Single” campaign. Each part of the campaign has a different image and says “Every single _____.” This one is “Every single cuddler.”

Analysis: Dating apps can be used for romance, sex, or both. Some dating apps (like Hinge) are designed for people looking for long term relationships, and others (like Grindr) are designed for people looking just for sex, although you may find anything on any app. In this image, OK Cupid tries to appeal to people looking for romance by emphasizing that people who like to CUDDLE are on this app, that this app is for every single person who likes to cuddle (it’s a pun — “every single” in the sense of “every single one,” but also in the sense of “all cuddlers who are single”). The weirdness of the image– two very tall people with three sets of arms – actually accentuates the romance appeal because it’s not just one set of arms cuddling, it’s THREE SETS OF ARMS. SO MANY CUDDLES. While humorous and fantastical, it subtly suggests the intensity of the cuddles you will receive if you use OkCupid. Other images in this campaign (“every single submissive,” for example) are more focused on sex appeal, and others on gender appeal (“every single feminist”), but this one is all about the romance. They’re also in their pajamas, which suggests casual emotional intimacy and some level of commitment, since if you’re staying over with someone and you bring your pajamas, it was definitely planned in advance. Maybe you live together, and maybe you don’t, but you’re definitely at a “we wear our pajamas with each other” stage of intimacy.

This one uses romance appeal AND sex appeal.

Context: One of the other images in the campaign is “for every single non-monogamist,” so this one shows that OKCupid is for people who like monogamy as well as people who don’t want to be monogamous.

Analysis: The image uses a wedding ring, to suggest love and longterm commitment. This is romance appeal — maybe if you use OK Cupid, you will find someone you want to marry. But it’s also sex appeal, since the wedding ring is presented in a way that mimics a vulgar sexual gesture that people sometimes make with their hands. (So, it’s ALSO humor appeal!) This adds complexity to the ad — it’s not just saying “you might find someone to marry,” but also saying “you might meet and have sex with someone who also wants to be monogamous, just like you, regardless of whether or not you end up marrying them.” OKCupid is trying to present itself as an app for many different kinds of people who have a wide range of interests in their dating lives. It’s not just for monogamous people, and not just for nonmonogamous people, not just for sex, but also includes sex.