While planning its first ever 360-degree brand campaign in India, international dating app OkCupid has attempted to understand what Indian millennials really want from life and relationships.

The company gathered responses from users aged between 25 and 35, to questions on the app that help OkCupid's algorithm suggest compatible matches. The data found that expectations within this group regarding an ideal partner are evolving fast, as are social and cultural expectations. Instead of being told what to do, or having other people choose for them, young single Indians want to make their own choices based on the connection they share with a person. They are in no hurry to 'settle down' or 'compromise' until they feel comfortable with their choice.

Taking insights from the data gathered, OkCupid has launched its first brand campaign in India including its first TVC, 'Find My Kind'. The campaign builds on the insight that people of this generation want a meaningful relationship with a like-minded partner to celebrate and share their values, beliefs and quirks. What caught our attention about the TVC is that the brand is positioning itself very clearly as an alternative that can help a user find a serious relationship. While Tinder's stance is a carefree one, OkCupid actually gets down to brass tacks and addresses users who are looking for authentic relationships and real bonds, on their own terms.

Carlton D'Silva

We spoke to Carlton D'Silva, CEO and CCO of Hungama Digital Services to understand the ad better. He tells us that he thinks the ad will work in appealing to the TG. "The ad explains the uniqueness of this app over others, whilst telling us a story. It's beautifully shot and well scripted," he told us.

He points out that he knows people who have gotten married on Tinder, despite the overall general outlook that Tinder is meant for casual dating. "There are so many dating apps around and the brand needs to take a solid positioning to stand out - so it's only smart to take on this positioning to counter the biggest dating app out there. Plus, I think the app's algorithm is different from that of Tinder and hence that too ratifies the positioning perfectly," he states.

D'Silva believes that most dating apps are relationship building apps rather than hook-ups in India. D'Silva reminds us that what holds true in the West might not necessarily be so in India.

"I think the brand is trying to showcase the changing face of India. Whilst we still have arranged marriages, I would wager that the numbers have dropped considerably. One might say that dating apps could be a reason for this fall in numbers," he says.

Sita Lakshmi Narayan Swamy

Sita Lakshmi Narayanan Swamy, brand and consumer expert, points out that OkCupid's new TVC doesn't just stop at taking a dig at Tinder - "It's suggesting their own brand as a viable alternative. It's not just the communication that's taking a dig at Tinder, they're actually positioning their brand as an alternative to Tinder for the TG."

We asked her why it was so important for OkCupid to emphasise on the long run. "Many people are also cynical or worried about finding people who fake it, on dating apps. This makes it beneficial for OkCupid to position itself as a brand that is in it for the long run. Today, even parents don't force their children to get married. The difference here is that the TG gets a sense that they are in a position to choose and hence, they are in control," she says.

Swamy makes a reference to the three crossroads that can be seen in the ads and tells us that the fact that street names read 'friends with benefits', 'no labels' and the final alternative as something real is a way for the brand to reinforce its positioning. "These are real concerns that millennials have - water conservation, being judged about their clothes, etc...I thought that was a rather interesting way of judging a person. It makes the communication very real and relatable. It's a starkly different positioning, and millennials are very smart. I think we portray them as being a lot more frivolous, which they may not be really. If not marriage, they want relationships to be authentic, they're looking for someone like-minded. That's never going to go out of fashion," she signs off.

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