Mumbai: This Pride month, Tinder, the popular dating app, is taking significant steps to support and celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community in India. In collaboration with Gaysi Family, a queer-owned and queer-run media platform, Tinder has launched its first Queer Dating Starter Pack. This visual checklist is designed to assist young, first-time queer daters on Tinder by providing essential guidance on self-discovery, dating etiquette, consent, safety and boundaries, and self-care. This initiative builds upon the LetsTalkGender.in guide and glossary that Tinder introduced in 2022, offering a comprehensive resource that integrates the new checklist for quick, reliable support as users navigate their dating experiences.
In addition to this valuable resource, Tinder has announced the return of Queer Made Weekend, a pride festival. This event was dedicated to celebrating, supporting, and amplifying businesses and products made, owned, and run by India’s LGBTQIA+ community. Tinder Queer Made Weekend took place on 8 June 2024 at Jio World Drive in Mumbai and from 15 to 16 June 2024 at DLF Promenade in Delhi.
Indiantelevision caught up with Tinder India marketing director Anukool Kumar and shared insights on his journey from engineering to marketing, highlighting how his technical background had enhanced his creative problem-solving skills in marketing. He discussed how trends like the demand for authentic connections shaped Tinder's strategies, exemplified by the "You Up" campaign. Emphasizing adaptability and user-centric approaches, Anukool underscored the importance of staying relevant to Gen Z's evolving interests and values. His entrepreneurial experience informed his innovative marketing tactics at Tinder, focusing on user engagement, differentiation, and trust and safety. Anukool also elaborated on initiatives like Queer Made Weekend and the Queer Dating Starter Pack, reflecting Tinder's commitment to inclusivity and support for the LGBTQIA+ community.
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On your transition from engineering to marketing and inspiring this career shift
I always felt destined to be a marketeer, but engineering happened by chance as I enjoyed logical thinking, analytical work, and IT at that time. However, being an engineer has actually made me a better marketeer. I’ve been able to leverage the analytical and problem-solving skills honed in engineering to tackle marketing challenges creatively. This creative problem-solving mindset, common in engineering, translates well into developing innovative marketing strategies. Additionally, engineering provided me with a deep understanding of product features and benefits, which aids in crafting compelling marketing messages. Overall, I always had a desire for more creative expression, an interest in understanding and influencing consumer behaviour, and the goal of having a broader impact on the company's success by reaching wider audiences.
On recent market trend that influencing Tinder's marketing strategy
A recent market trend influencing Tinder's marketing strategy is the growing emphasis on authentic connections and meaningful interactions. In response, Tinder launched the "You Up" campaign as a part of the brand's global message “It Starts with A Swipe” inspired by this new generation and how uniquely they look at themselves and their dating lives. The campaign celebrates the endless possibilities of moments and experiences on Tinder. It is a reflection of how dating has become more fluid and how young daters increasingly embrace their authentic selves on the Tinder app and IRL. For them ‘You Up?’ is about putting themselves out there and seeking the kind of connections they want, on their own terms. Young adults reclaim the idea of 'you up?' culturally associated with 'provocative/suggestive' dating behaviour and instead define it as a positive call to action for putting yourself out there and all the adventure it can the experiences, the adrenaline, the chemistry and the excitement. The film was released on 20 December 2022, across YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter.
The campaign beautifully illustrates the endless possibilities that Tinder delivers and reflects Gen Z's desire to express and connect on the issues that matter to them most, with 63 per cent of Tinder users wanting to connect with someone that aligns with their values. The film follows a female protagonist who’s not afraid to navigate through diverse experiences and puts herself out there for all the experiences that come her way, whether it be a fun karaoke night, a long drive, or just meeting someone over dinner. By being open to possibilities, she is able to explore her individuality with endless new adventures that await at every turn with Tinder.
1 Tinder In app Survey among Tinder users aged 18-24 in UK, US, AU. Data was collected between 10/18/22 – 10/28/22.
On integrating emerging market trends into Tinder's marketing campaigns
Tinder evolves as our core target audience evolves (from Millennials to Gen Z), and our goal is to always stay relevant and offer the best experience to them, following their habits, behaviours and evolving trends. Our campaigns revolve around our users, keeping their interests and insights at the heart of everything we do, whether it is interests such as food, music, travel or pop-culture trends. Last year, we also collaborated with DOT., the Gen-Z actor from Netflix’s The Archies film, to spotlight Incognito Mode, a feature which offers Tinder subscribers the ability to maintain full control over their visibility while engaging with the Tinder app in this film. Our recent campaigns, "It Starts With a Swipe," and “You Up” were inspired by this new generation of daters and how uniquely they look at themselves and their dating lives. Our goal is to bring more spontaneity into people’s lives and to open up a whole new world of possibilities with others.
For our ongoing Swipe Ride Series which completed its 3rd season last year, we collaborated with influencers and celebrities who are strong female icons such as Kusha Kapila, Swara Bhaskar, Rashmika Mandanna, Pooja Bhatt, Uorfi Javed, Zeenat Aman, Janhvi Kapoor and more to celebrate meaningful conversations about what Indian women truly want from their dating lives and normalise conversations around female desire, body positivity, self-care.
On experience as an entrepreneur influencing your approach to marketing at companies like OkCupid and Tinder
My experience as an entrepreneur has significantly influenced my approach to marketing as I’ve learnt to be adaptable, resourceful, and innovative, which are crucial traits in the dynamic field of marketing. This entrepreneurial mindset allows me to quickly identify market opportunities and pivot strategies to stay ahead of trends.
Moreover, my entrepreneurial background instilled in me a results-oriented mindset, constantly measuring and analyzing the effectiveness of marketing initiatives to optimize performance and drive growth. This blend of creativity, user focus, and data analysis that shaped my entrepreneurial experiences has been key in crafting successful marketing strategies for these dating platforms.
On ensuring that Tinder's marketing strategies resonate with the diverse user base in India
Tinder’s mission is to keep the magic of human connection alive. We’re focused on promoting realness, respect, and relevancy amongst our users. The power of marketing lies in the connection we make with our target audiences in Tinder’s case it's Gen-Z and how they see themselves as part of the brand. More than half of all Tinder users across the globe are 18-25 years old and they are all about vibing, meeting up and being their authentic selves. GenZ are digital natives and our priority is to talk to them in their language and be where they are having these conversations. They’re also incredibly intentional in both who they choose to date and how they choose to date and are looking for casual activities and shared experiences to get to know each other and make their first dates count.
On key challenges that you face as the head of marketing at Tinder and overcome them
Some of the key challenges include maintaining user engagement, differentiating Tinder in a competitive market, and navigating Trust & Safety concerns. User engagement means how we are agile as a marketeer, and build on trends. Talking about differentiation, Tinder’s Queer Made Weekend is a great example. It is one of the most significant inclusive initiatives we’ve committed to for three consecutive years in partnership with the Gaysi Family. It began as a digital space for 100+ LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs and business owners in 2021 and expanded to an in-person event in Delhi in 2022, with further expansion to both Delhi and Mumbai in 2023 and again this year. Before Tinder’s Queer Made Weekend, cities in India had never seen such a vibrant collection of queer businesses.
Additionally, addressing T&S concerns is paramount. In 2021, we launched LetsTalkConsent in partnership with Yuvva and Pink Legal as an ongoing conversation on consent education. Every year, we’ve reintroduced conversations on consent through various initiatives. These include offline workshops across 9 colleges and a 90-minute self-learning online course on Coursera. Through education and intervention, we believe that we can make Tinder the safest way to meet new people and ensure that dating is both fun and safe for everyone.
On inspiring the launch of Queer Made in partnership with Little Black Book and Gaysi Family
In 2021, Tinder launched Queer Made in partnership with Little Black Book and Gaysi Family, to provide a digital space for over 100+ LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs and business owners. It is a space dedicated to celebrating, supporting and amplifying businesses and products made, owned and/or run by India’s LGBTQIA+ community. The aim was to empower entrepreneurial voices, foster discovery, and inspire users in-app and online to deepen their allyship, a commitment that continues today. The initiative expanded IRL in 2022, where Tinder organised a two-day festival, Queer Made Weekend in Delhi, with over 30 LGBTQIA+ owned businesses from categories such as Fashion, Art, Merch, Home Decor etc., from across India and 10+ home-grown musicians among many more. Last year, Tinder expanded the festival to Delhi and Mumbai, with a footfall of 30k+.
On collaboration influencing public perception of your brand, particularly within the LGBTQIA+ community
Tinder welcomes everyone, and we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to make a meaningful connection with someone new, no matter who they are. We’ve been at the forefront of pioneering inclusive features and campaigns that ensure our users can be their authentic selves on our platform. With each passing year, Tinder's Queer Made Weekend has grown significantly, attracting an overwhelming turnout and strong support from both the community and allies. The festival has showcased a diverse array of queer-owned businesses and creative expressions, with performances by home-grown artists adding vibrancy and energy to the events. Year after year, we are inspired by stories of resilience and creativity. As a strong ally, Tinder’s vision is to help users create meaningful connections and provide a space where they can be their authentic selves.
On Queer Dating Starter Pack aiming to support first-time queer daters in navigating various dating scenarios
The Queer Dating Starter Pack, curated by Gaysi Family with insights from The QKnit, addresses common concerns of first-time queer daters by focusing on themes like self-discovery, dating etiquette, consent, safety, boundaries, and self-care. It covers essential topics such as readiness to date, exploring one's identity, understanding and setting boundaries, and practising consent and self-care, all based on real-life experiences of the queer community, resulting in a resource that is both authentic and practical for first-time queer daters. Building on the LetsTalkGender.in guide and glossary launched by Tinder in 2022, the new checklist integrates with this resource, providing quick check-ins as they navigate their dating firsts on Tinder with confidence and clarity.
