Tinder: Friend With (Other) Benefits

For years, Tinder had been established as a dating app with a stereotype for finding one night stands and friends with benefits. This reputation posed a challenge for recruiting new users in Thailand, where research showed that Gen Z is the most likely group to quit the app within one week for not wanting to participate in hookup culture. On the other hand, however, other Gen Z users who stayed also showed the highest interest in using the app for non-dating or non-sexual purposes.

With these findings, Tinder needed to change its perception and positioning to the Thai Gen Z – as a social app that offers more value beyond just dating and hooking up.

For the winning pitch of redefining Tinder, Wunderman Thompson Thailand dug deep into the Gen Z's user data. What they found was that this group of users was keen towards finding platonic friendships through the app, not just the stereotypical friends with benefits.

One user wrote on her profile that she was looking for an "HR buddy" in her job search. Others stated interests in finding "friends" to play online games, dine out at restaurants, go to concerts, or watching drama series together. Based on this insight, the agency came up with the idea "Friends with (Other) Benefits", or in Thai "Puen Sampan" which twists the word for "sex" into a brand new word for "friendship". The aim is to capitalize on this emerging trend as a new attraction for the Gen Z to give Tinder another chance.

In less than one week, the launch film received over 9 million views and multiple organic mentions in the media. The campaign line "Puen Sampan" soon started trending on social media.

"The first thing I did when I found out we were pitching for Tinder, I asked my wife’s permission to download the app. She said to me, 'please behave, no one night stands allowed'," said Wunderman Thompson's Executive Creative Director, Thasorn Boonyanate.

"Our goal is to change the Gen Z's perception of Tinder by showing them just how endless the possibilities are for forming meaningful relationships on the app, platonic or otherwise. In my research, I found that these young people have very diverse passions, from gaming, surf skating, discovering new restaurants and bars, to fangirling over Korean actors. I knew immediately that's what Tinder should be about in the year 2021, an app that multiplies your love for life by matching you with new friends who share and expand your passions, real friends with long-term 'benefits' who are here to stay and may even develop these connections into romance that's not based on mere physical attraction. We believe this is the way forward for Tinder to reach beyond traditional dating," Boonyanate explains.

The campaign for "Friends with (Other) Benefits"/"Puen Sampan" continues through January 2021. Stay tuned and download Tinder to experience more exclusive content.