ETBWS 2025: Is your brand dateable? Tinder's VP reveals the secret to Gen Z connection
Daniel Kim
,
Tinder
's vice president of marketing, APAC, peeled back the layers at the seventh edition of Brand World Summit 2025, hosted by ET BrandEquity revealing the strategies behind the dating app's enduring success in an age defined by authenticity and self-expression.
Kim opened his talk by reflecting on the cultural impact Tinder has made. 'Think about the word 'swipe' –swipe left, swipe right. That language didn't exist before Tinder, and now it's a part of our everyday vocabulary.' With over 630 million downloads, a presence in 190 countries, and more than three billion swipes daily, Tinder remains the number one dating app worldwide.
But success today, Kim explained, requires more than scale or name recognition. It requires evolution. Tinder, which began by serving both older and younger millennials, is now engaging primarily with Gen Z and preparing to speak to the next generations, Gen Alpha and beyond.
Drawing on his previous experience leading marketing across continents for Procter & Gamble, Kim noted that the behavioural shift from millennials to Gen Z is far more significant than the one between millennials and Gen X. 'They operate in a completely different way,' he said.
Kim noted that Gen Z, largely raised by Millennial intentional parents, experienced highly planned lives from birth, fostering a culture of expectation. This often led to the unspoken rule: "We've done XYZ, so we expect you to achieve ABC." Such pressure, he explained, fuels performance anxiety, burnout, and depression. These dynamics profoundly shape Gen Z's decisions, including their brand interactions, where they seek understanding and authenticity over polished ads.
Another challenge marketers face with Gen Z is their overexposure to visual content. Having grown up with constant screens and feeds, their brains have adapted by developing strong filters. 'Their first question is, 'Is this an ad?'' Kim said. If the answer is yes and it doesn't feel relevant or genuine, they skip it instantly. This forces brands to think more creatively and honestly about how to break through. It's no longer enough to capture attention; you must earn trust.
Authenticity has emerged as a key value. Unlike previous generations that sought features or lifestyle storytelling, Gen Z values interaction, playfulness, and above all, emotional honesty. They're not looking for perfection, they're actively rejecting it. One example Kim shared was Tinder's 'Move On' campaign. Instead of focusing on finding 'the one', the campaign helped people recover from breakups. In one ad, a woman deletes her ex's photos but keeps the pet turtle they once loved. Her new Tinder bio? 'Looking for someone who likes turtles.' The ad resonated globally because it was real, human, and a little vulnerable.
In India, Tinder created a campaign that took this idea a step further literally. A pink 'Dump Truck' travelled through the city, inviting people to toss away memories of their exes. It was imperfect, slightly chaotic, and entirely authentic. It went viral not just in India, but around the world.
Kim also spoke about the shift toward value-driven consumption. For Gen Z, brand identity is closely tied to personal identity: who they are, how they want to be seen, and the values they stand for. Tinder tapped into this during Holi in India, a festival of colours that also carries concerns for some women due to non-consensual physical contact. Tinder responded by launching limited-edition T-shirts with messages centred on consent. With no traditional advertising push, the shirts sold out quickly and generated widespread media coverage and user demand. The message was simple but powerful, offered at the right moment, to the right audience.
What's perhaps most fundamental to Tinder's current marketing philosophy, however, is the prioritisation of micro-moments over grand campaigns. 'Being a great brand is like being a great partner,' Kim said. 'It's not about flowers once a year. It's about showing up consistently, being kind, and being there when it counts.' Tinder has begun building its marketing calendar not around big launch moments but around emotional touchpoints in users' lives. Whether it's a 21-year-old starting fresh in a new city or a 19-year-old navigating their first heartbreak, each campaign is designed with specificity and care. The aim is not just reach but resonance.
Kim closed with a question that stayed with the audience: 'Is your brand dateable? Or is it just trying too hard to get attention?' In today's culture of authenticity and emotional intelligence, the most loved brands are those that reflect people's real lives which are messy, honest, and evolving. As Kim put it, the best brands, like the best partners, are emotionally intelligent, growth-oriented, and playful yet principled. And that's exactly what Tinder aspires to be.
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