Last Couple Standing: How a SCAD advertising student contributed to the success of the viral card game
If you keep up with Jarrette Jones and Iyanna McNeely from the second season of “Love is Blind,” or Kandi Burruss from “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” or even viral TikTokers Emmy Summer and Ryan Chang (known as EmmyxRyan on the platform), you may have noticed that a competitive couple’s card game—called Last Couple Standing—has been trending all over social media.
And it’s only getting bigger.
The creators of Last Couple Standing are the parents of fourth-year advertising student Amara Holland. Though she didn’t initially envision herself working in the board game industry, Amara art directed an entire ad campaign for the game on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. She also made promo graphics and memes to promote its launch on Kickstarter in July of 2020, where it raised over $10,000 in funds on its first day.
The concept for a competitive couple’s card game came after a local relationship therapist wrapped up a web series with HollandBay, a film and editing business owned by Amara’s dad. While brainstorming ways to promote the web series’ release, they considered creating a small fifteen-card game that would serve as a conversational exercise between couples. And although the web series was ultimately put aside, the itch to create something bigger was still there.
“My family and our business partners wanted to create an actual game,” says Amara. “We wanted to create something that wasn’t your typical couple’s ‘card game’ — one that’s really just a relationship exercise in disguise. We wanted to create something where you and your partner are a team.”
Not just a team—but a team that’s ready to compete and a team that’s ready to win.
After taking a look inward at their own relationships, the creators of Last Couple Standing realized that joking around and having fun with their partners was the secret to keeping the romantic spark alive. They wanted to create a game that would not only bring them closer to their partners and their friends, but one that would create lasting memories along the way.
Once they realized that they could combine all these elements into one experience, Last Couple Standing was born.
However, “lasting memories” is an understatement. The game has become known for its ruthless prompts, sticking true to its tagline: no couple is safe. Some of these prompts include questions as bizarre as “if your partner were a combination of themselves and one of your exes, which ex would make them the perfect partner?”
“This is a game that you’ll want to play with friends you trust, and friends that you know aren’t going to be overly sensitive,” says Amara. “This game is all about trust and communication. Prepare to open up, to be silly and to learn a lot more about your friends.”
When asked how her SCAD education has aided in the creation of Last Couple Standing, Amara says that SCAD’s advertising program has given her a leg up in this experience. “SCAD gave me the tools necessary to help me advise my parents throughout this journey,” she says. “But more importantly, they gave me the tools to create engaging campaigns that have contributed to the overall success of Last Couple Standing.”
And in turn, the success of Last Couple Standing has helped Amara’s SCAD education as well. “I believe that being so hands-on with this entire experience has given me a bit of an edge in the advertising world,” she says. “I have an inside look at how a company starts from the ground up, and that’s something that not a lot of other advertising students can say.”
Last Couple Standing has come a long way in less than two years, and ultimately, Amara is eager to continue watching her achievements in advertising come to fruition.
If you’re looking for a double-date activity that you’ll never forget, check out @thelastcouplestanding on Instagram. Last Couple Standing is available for purchase at Citizen Supply in Ponce City Market, or online at shop.lcsgame.com.
