We’re all for connecting brands directly with their consumers, but are some spaces just too sacred? Dating apps create spaces where the user is incredibly vulnerable, and while that might be an enticing time to make an appeal, it is nonetheless a very risky move.

At this year’s South by Southwest festival in Austin, an intrusive– if not innovative– ad for sci-fi thriller Ex-Machina has been the most buzzed about. The film used it’s star’s photo and her character’s name, Ava, to create an account on the dating app Tinder. Once a person initiated a conversation with Ava, she would ask personal questions and continue the conversation, and then eventually provide a link to her Instagram account– an account for the film.

Those who reached the Instagram page felt deceived and tricked, and have since voiced their outrage on Twitter. This stunt raises questions about the boundaries that brands must consider when trying to target audiences in sensitive spaces.

What Sparks Our Fire: Raising important questions about the future of our industry