Grindr Embarks on ‘Great American Road Trip’ to Celebrate 15 Years of LGBTQ+ Connections

As part of Pride Month, Grindr, a social networking and dating app for gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, is taking a bus tour to educate and connect with LGBTQ+ communities. In addition to Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, the tour will visit ten cities.

The bus will feature two full-service portrait studios where attendees can strike a pose and have their photos taken. Additionally, Grindr has partnered with Q Care Plus to provide LGBTQ+, gender-affirming, and sexual health and wellness education and resources on board.

Each stop will also feature local drag queens, highway hunks, punny bumper stickers, free swag, Grindr Unlimited giveaways, and more, making it a fun and informative event for all.

Using social media for its campaign, Grindr is focusing primarily on owned and earned channels. With a highly engaged audience, the PR approach is multifaceted. On both a national and regional level, it includes a robust strategy for broadcasting, print, digital, and radio. The Great American Road Trip will also be promoted across all social media channels (TikTok, Instagram, X, YouTube), with geo-targeted posts to inform followers about future events. A combination of in-app notifications and in-person events are being used to keep users informed of upcoming tour stops.

The road trip and campaign are part of Grindr’s 15-year celebration. Tristan Pineiro, VP of Brand Marketing at Grindr, explains that a survey of over 3,000 app users in the ten cities participating led to this decision. In addition to favorite hobbies, dating green flags, sexual kinks, queer icons, and more, the survey aimed to gather information about local communities’ preferences.

“The genesis of this campaign was our desire to give back to our wonderful community and loyal users. We thought, what better way to celebrate our 15th anniversary than by offering the perfect Grindr profile pic? Although we’re a digital app, we wanted to shake things up by fostering real-life connections and  decided to take a full-service photography studio on the road,” said Pineiro.

The brand also surveyed locals to uncover their favorite bars, businesses, and hotels, providing insights into the best LGBTQ+ hotspots in each city. This information ensures that the community knows exactly where to go, whether they are local or planning a visit.

Grindr isn’t the only brand to take its campaign on the road. UPS Store recently highlighted mom-owned businesses on Mother’s Day on its digital OOH truck.

“This tour is our chance to spotlight Grindr as more than just a digital platform,” said Pineiro. “Grindr is the ultimate global Gayborhood in your pocket, and we want to celebrate that by bringing our digital connections to life in a way we haven’t before, through fabulous in-person celebrations, performances, and giveaways at each tour stop.”As brands reevaluate their support of the LGBTQ+ community in order to ensure it is considered genuine and authentic rather than performative, this could be of significant importance.

According to Pineiro, some of these organizations have scaled back their Pride campaigns in response to recent backlash against brands supporting LGBTQ+ initiatives. Additionally, consumers are placing increasing pressure on LGBTQ+ people to demonstrate inclusion throughout the year, not only during Pride.