"Fear of rejection is high in India": Tinder's Taru Kapoor

Tinder India has found the limelight yet again, thanks to its association with upcoming movie - Dear Zindagi. We spoke to Taru Kapoor, head, Tinder India, about how Indians have been using the app over the past few months.

Remember Tinder's first Indian ad that lent itself to a flurry of spoofs and jokes on social media, thanks to the 'sanskaar' and 'ma' element in what is by and large known to be a dating/hook up app. Although, Taru Kapoor, head, Tinder India, maintains, "Tinder is a social discovery platform; it is what you make of it", perceptions take time to change.

And so, after the drastic attempt at Indianising the brand, Tinder seems to have gotten more real in its latest burst of communication which involves a pre-release association with the upcoming Bollywood flick, Dear Zindagi. The digital campaign executed by Red Chillies Entertainment is called 'Swipe Right To Zindagi'.

The close to two-minute video features Alia Bhatt (who plays Kaira in the movie) discussing 'life's biggest woes' - boys, dating, relationships, love - with a friend who just "dumped a loser". But never mind the drama. With Tinder, the girls get their lives back on track in no time.

Talking about the association, Kapoor says, "Dear Zindagi is a refreshing take on life, relationships, and love. The situations, conversations and characters in the movie are such that our users and TG can relate to."

The app has been available in India for around three years. While 90 per cent of its user base is in the 18-30 age bracket, the focus is on digital natives who are between 19 and 25 years of age.

"The 19-25 set consists of people who are early adopters of technology, and have grown up with mobile phones for a significant part of their lives. They are extremely confident about themselves and about meeting new people. Technology is an enabler for them. Dating is their culture; it's not an exception," states Kapoor, adding that other than this, there's little difference in the way the two sets behave.

"Irrespective of age, they are on Tinder to discover and meet like-minded people. Dating is mostly their second preference," she shares. We asked Kapoor if this is what differentiates Indian Tinder users from those in more developed markets? Does the reverse hold true for the latter?

Once again, Kapoor dismisses the notion saying, "Traditionally, in India, it is difficult to meet people outside of one's comfort zone which includes family, school, college and work. A person might get introduced to a friend's friend, but that's best left to chance. Indians do not take the initiative of reaching out to new people. Not only are there fewer avenues for networking, the fear of rejection is high in India because we were always taught to be wary of strangers."

While these challenges exist, and there's little that can be done to change societal norms, Kapoor believes that this is where technology helps. Tinder does not allow unsolicited messaging, and the fear of rejection is taken care of by the 'match' feature, which lets you interact only after mutually liking the profiles. Furthermore, the power and privacy that smartphones have brought to users, in big and small towns alike, is slowly leveling the playing field.

"It's not as if Indians aren't thrilled by discovery and new experiences. Not only for dating, people use Tinder because they want to be well-networked, aware and exposed to different perspectives. They want to know more about different cultures, jobs, places and people," insists Kapoor.

A right turn?

Vivek Dutta, executive planning director, Hakuhodo Percept, says, "Tinder, in India, certainly has issues regarding acceptability, especially with women. So as far as casting of the promo is concerned, it's bang on!"

However, he points out that the campaign voices the angst and complications that women face in relationships in general, and does nothing to address Tinder-specific concerns.

Commenting on the brand integration, he notes, "Co-branding, used intelligently and sparingly, is quite effective as a short term solution for generating recall. Based on the movie promos, the brand connect seems to be quite justified. I'm sure that the star power of Alia Bhatt would get some much desired eyeballs."