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.
Vasudha Misra, Executive Creative Director, BBH India, the agency responsible for the campaign says “Relationships today seem to be either fluid in a let’s-not-define-things kind of way, or it becomes a let’s-get-married scenario. The in-betweeners seem to be left to their own devices (sorry for the pun). Enter OkCupid. A place for people to find that person to share something that’s more meaningful. A place for people who know themselves and know what they are looking for in a partner. The idea celebrates these people who aren’t letting anyone else decide for them – not parents, not society, not even their own inhibitions.”
Shuti Gupta, brand manager, OkCupid India, says, “Today’s single Indian is battling “suitable” recommendations by parents, friends, extended family or matrimonial services that don’t account for personal preferences. At the other end are exploratory dating services that don’t cater to Indian millennials who want a genuine partnership based on shared personal values.”
The TVC covers major national channels with a focus on English entertainment and movie channels. The outdoor and print campaigns are indexed to metro cities – Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru and Mumbai with a quirky, contextual take on Indian matrimonial listings to bring focus on matching over what matters. OkCupid will also work with comedienne influencers like Urooj Ashfaq and Supriya Joshi to drive the message home through stand-up comedy performances.
