Tinder India’s new ad garners 450,000 views in 2 days

New Delhi: Dating app Tinder is back with a relatable ad titled Start Something Epic, featuring a young girl who takes charge of her love life. The creative execution of the new ad is in sharp contrast to the company’s debut campaign in India which featured a mother doling out tips to her daughter for a Tinder date. The film was trolled on social media for desperately “Indianising” the dating app.

Launched in 2012, Tinder is currently present in 196 countries. Tinder officially entered India in January 2016.

“The short film we released a few years ago was social media content and a part of our ongoing effort to create a conversation around dating and relationships in contemporary India. Over the last two years, we have grown explosively and also done many more content partnerships and marketing activations along the way,” said Taru Kapoor, head, Tinder India.

Unlike the first ad, the new campaign hits the nail on the head with a peppy youthful execution with visuals which are complemented by a recreation of Mohammad Rafi’s hit song Jaan Pehchan Ho. The 90-seconder, made by advertising agency BBH India, features Indie musician and actor Kavya Trehan apparently playing the role of a Tinder girl who goes about meeting new people through the app before ending up with the right match. The company said that it wanted to convey the ease and independence that Tinder provides to users to meet people and make connections.

“The film portrays the joy and adrenaline of the epic possibilities that millions of Tinder users enjoy every day while being in control at all times. On Tinder, epic can range from a great conversation where you discover something new, an amazing first date, the beginning of a new friendship to the starting of a romantic relationship - the chemistry of every conversation on Tinder is unique. Women especially love Tinder as it is a community based on equality, mutual respect and a place where they are not judged for being themselves or being bombarded with unsolicited attention,” added Kapoor.

The film has been directed by Bharat Sikka has been gaining traction on social media platforms. Uploaded on 13 February, it has garnered over 450,000 views across the brand’s YouTube and Facebook platforms.

“Tinder, at its core, connects people to other like-minded people, helps one make new friends, find a date or a life partner. It puts people in control of their social interactions in a way that may not be possible otherwise. And this film is an unabashed, joyous celebration of that feeling. In a world where we are always being told how to behave and what not to do, Tinder stands (and does a little jig) for individual choice without judgement,” said Vasudha Misra, executive creative director, BBH Delhi.

Dubbing it as fresh, Narayan Devanathan, group executive and strategy officer, Dentsu Brand Agencies India thinks that the new Tinder ad reminds him of the classic Khaki ads by clothing brand Gap in terms of style and execution.

“But what lifted the Tinder ad and gave it more context and meaning was the great choice of the song (Jaan pehchan ho). It is easy to think of it as a convenient crutch, but I think it’s a lot more than that,” he said.

Devanathan said Tinder’s first ad faced judgment from people who were probably not even actual users; the new campaign allows people to self-select—both into watching it and acting upon it (whether to create a conversation around it or to use the app itself).

“So this one is more likely to appeal to its core base and be ignored by the larger society that won’t use the app. The campaign creates enough intrigue for people to find out more about the app,” he added.